1.   He added that Pinochet cannot be charged with genocide because political opponents were not persecuted because of their race or religion.

2.   His government has jailed journalists, closed opposition media and persecuted political opponents, prompting condemnation from international human rights groups and Western politicians.

3.   Lukashenko has been criticized by Western leaders and human rights groups for jailing journalists, cracking down on opposition media and persecuting political opponents.

4.   Svilanovic said Milosevic, who has ruled Serbia with a firm hand for more than a decade, could try to impose a dictatorship and persecute his opponents.

5.   But they have now become a law unto themselves, pursuing private vendettas and persecuting opponents of their tactics and their elected sponsors, it alleges.

6.   There have been reports that state governors are using groups set up for crime prevention as private armies to persecute their opponents in the run up to polling.