The two leaders met in Beijing and discussed the war in Ukraine, a week after China released a position paper, calling for a cease-fire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Poland has stopped some 16,000 migrants crossing its border from Belarus since August, and accuses Belarus' authoritarian regime of facilitating illegal migration into the European Union.
Nearly a year after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown, "None of us doubt that we will prevail," an activist tells NPR. Others sound worried. "Every day is a little scarier," says one.
The exiled leader of Belarus' pro-democracy movement says that renewed protests and diplomatic pressure will lead to a peaceful political transition and new, free and fair elections.
"We will continue to fight and speak and raise our voices," says Belarusian athlete Yelena Leuchanka. "The face of what is happening in Belarus is largely the face of women," says an ex-U.S. diplomat.
Alexander Lukashenko declared a landslide victory in Aug. 9 polls widely seen as fraudulent. He was sworn in for a sixth term Wednesday in a secret ceremony in the capital, according to state media.
Maria Kolesnikova, 38, was taken away by masked men in a van Monday in Minsk, according to reports citing eyewitnesses. Authorities later said she was arrested while trying to cross into Ukraine.
Speaking to NPR from Lithuania, the challenger to longtime President Alexander Lukashenko says "women understood that they are leaders" in the struggle.
The Belarusian president appears to regain the upper hand after mass demonstrations against his reelection in a vote that's been criticized by the U.S. and the European Union.
More than a week of protests across the country are aimed at getting President Alexander Lukashenko to step down after 26 years in power. Lukashenko has vowed never to quit.
Tens of thousands took to the streets to demand change on Sunday, as incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko defended election results that international observers have decried as illegitimate.
