Belarus opposition leader demands end to violence, seeks free and fair elections

GENEVA (Reuters) - Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in a speech at the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday, demanded the country's authorities end violence against protesters and set up a free and fair presidential election.

Tsikhanouskaya fled her homeland for Lithuania amid a police crackdown in Belarus following the Aug. 9 presidential election, which official results said incumbent Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide.

Speaking at the same event, Yury Ambrazevih, Belarus ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, said it was not acceptable to use the body to interfere in a country's election.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge, writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Toby Chopra)