Belarus opposition calls for new protests
MINSK: Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday called for new protests and an election recount, piling pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko as he faces the biggest challenge in his 26 years in power.
In a video posted on Youtube from selfimposed exile in Lithuania, Tsikhanouskaya asked supporters to demand an official investigation into allegations that Lukashenko had rigged last Sunday’s presidential election.
At least two protesters were killed and thousands detained in a violent crackdown this week, prompting the European Union to consider new sanctions on Belarus, which is seen by Russia as a strategic buffer against Nato and the EU.
“Belarusians will never again want to live with the old authorities,” Tsikhanouskaya said. “Let’s defend our choice. Don’t stay on the sidelines. Our voices need to be heard.”
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a sixth consecutive day demanding that Lukashenko step down, joined by workers at some of the state-owned industrial plants that are the centrepiece of his Soviet-style economic model.
One teacher trembled and wept quietly as she held up flowers outside the State Philharmonic concert hall, along with a placard reading “I’m a teacher, and I want to be proud of that!”
In a rare climbdown, the government apologised for the use of force as it freed more than 2,000 protesters from detention.
Several bore heavy bruises and complained of beatings, cramped conditions and starvation rations inside the cells. The government denied abusing detainees. The European Union will begin the process of imposing sanctions on Belarus and express its support for Greece and Cyprus in their stand-off with Turkey.
Foreign ministers from the 27 member states joined a hastily-arranged video conference hosted by Brussels’ diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, European officials said.
Ahead of the meeting, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for sanctions against those who “violated democratic values... and abused human rights” in Belarus. In Berlin, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Chancellor Angela Merkel had been shocked by the detention and abuse of peaceful protesters.
“In our view sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations will have to be discussed,” he said.