The police in Belarus have arrested over 100 people with connections to political prisoners ahead of the presidential election in January, according to Belarusian human rights activists.
The Human Rights Centre Viasna reports that the raids began on Thursday and targeted relatives and friends of political prisoners in various cities across the country.
The Belarusian opposition leader in exile, Svetlana Tichanovskaja, condemns the arrests and labels them as a "blow to solidarity among Belarusians ahead of the January pseudo-election".
The regime is trying to crush our solidarity and intimidate the families who help their imprisoned relatives, says Tichanovskaja.
The totalitarian President Aleksandr Lukasjenko, who has held power for over 30 years, is aiming for a seventh term in office with the election.
