The U.S. no longer recognizes Alexander Lukashenko as president of Belarus. The State Department said Wednesday the country's August presidential election wasn't legitimate.
A seventh week of unrest peaked Wednesday in Belarus after Lukashenko was sworn in to a sixth term as president during an unannounced inauguration ceremony. Police and other security forces detained more than 360 protesters.
Last week, the U.S. and 16 other participating states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe invoked the group's "Moscow Mechanism." The OSCE is investigating credible reports of human rights violations in Belarus, including election fraud.
After Wednesday's surprise inauguration ceremony, the European Union also reiterated that it no longer recognizes Lukashenko as the president of Belarus.
