Belarus President Slams Death Squad Claims

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday slammed allegations by two exiled investigators that a death squad is operating in the former Soviet state against his opponents. On Tuesday, the United States said two Belarussian investigators given asylum had revealed "credible evidence" of a death squad run by Lukashenko or members of his entourage. Lukashenko called the allegations a "provocation" prepared by opposition factions ahead of presidential elections on September 9. The United States has been an outspoken critic of Lukashenko, whose poor rights record has left his country isolated and without major financial support from outside. Lukashenko, a former state farm boss, has run Belarus with an increasingly authoritarian hand since winning by a landslide in 1994, especially since he extended his term and dissolved an opposition-led parliament in 1996. Critics label him Europe's last dictator. The plebiscite he used to broaden his powers was denounced as undemocratic by the West, which has shunned him since. Lukashenko has said he is confident of winning the next presidential elections. The United States said the investigators, Dmitry Petrushkevich and Oleg Sluchek, had made "detailed and credible revelations" about a death squad reportedly responsible for up to 30 murders. The men, formerly of the prosecutor's office, fled to the United States in June. They say the country's leadership is using an elite, maroon-bereted unit called Almaz to deal with opposition figures, critics and members of the underworld.