WASHINGTON, November 5. /TASS/. The US administration urges the Belarusian government to hold free and fair elections, monitored by independent observers, US Department of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement.

"The United States continues to call on the Belarusian authorities to cease their crackdown and heed the demands of the Belarusian people for free and fair elections under independent observation," the document says.

The statement was issued in connection with the release of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)’s Moscow Mechanism report on Belarus.

According to Pompeo, the report "describes sustained human rights violations," being committed in Belarus "on a massive scale and with impunity" since mid-August.

Pompeo described this year’s presidential election in Belarus as "fraudulent."

"The recommendations in this report provide the Belarusian authorities with a roadmap out of this crisis," he said.

The proposed measures include an "OSCE/ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) observation mission," an end to the violence and ensuring accountability for those found responsible for past violations, the release of all those who have been unjustly detained and "engagement in meaningful national dialogue with authentic representatives of the political opposition and civil society."

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.