U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has condemned the repression of peaceful protests in Belarus.

At a pro-democracy conference Friday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, Clinton said that every democracy “should stand up and be counted” and needs to speak out when “countries like Belarus brutally repress” the rights of its citizens.

Authoritarian Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has run the former Soviet state since 1994 and has launched a new crackdown on anti-government activists in the aftermath of his December re-election that Western governments say was flawed.

Clinton said there are “vicious autocrats” clinging to power throughout the world, but said it is “an hour of need” as fledgling democracies attempt to gain a foothold.

She said there are key elements necessary for countries to embrace democracy, including institutions rooted in law; equality for all, including women; a free press; economic opportunity and legitimate leaders.

The top U.S. diplomat made her remarks on the second stop of a three-nation, four-day trip to Europe. She earlier met with officials in Hungary and is headed next to Spain.

During her visit to Madrid, Clinton plans to meet with Prime Minister Jose Louis Rodriquez Zapatero for talks on several topics, including Afghanistan, trade and the economy.

In Budapest, she urged Hungary to strengthen its democratic institutions in the face of sharp criticism that the eastern European nation is becoming more autocratic. She also asked Hungary to commit to an independent judiciary, free press and government transparency.

Critics of the Hungarian government have said that a new constitution and media law introduced this year threaten the country's democratic freedoms.

In Hungary and in Lithuania, Clinton drew parallels between the democracies in transition in Eastern Europe and the political and social changes in the “Arab Spring” nations of the Middle East and North Africa.

Clinton said she hoped Egypt would allow international observers to witness its parliamentary elections in September and a later presidential vote. She said the U.S. would be watching to see if Egyptian and Tunisian political parties embrace the rights of women.