Belarusian opposition chief Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya says she has fled the country as protests sweep Belarus following the controversial re-election of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
In a short clip on YouTube launched Tuesday, Tsikhanouskaya said she had left to reunite with her young folks, whom she says she moved out of the country after receiving nameless threats all the contrivance in which through her campaign. She did now now not specify her whereabouts, but a pair of hours earlier Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that Tsikhanouskaya changed into in Lithuania, which borders Belarus.
“It changed into a in actuality sophisticated determination to extinguish for me,” Tsikhanouskaya, 37, said on the verge of tears. “I do know many folks will realize me, many will resolve me and loads of will abominate me.”
Later all the contrivance in which through a press conference, Linkevicius said Tsikhanouskaya changed into in a safe location in Lithuania alongside with her young folks. He didn’t account for on whether she changed into threatened earlier than she left Belarus, but said she experienced “obvious stress” and did now now not like unparalleled preference with the exception of to toddle away the country.
“I concentrate on you all realize she is anxious about her young folks and that’s completely comprehensible,” Linkevicius told journalists. “But I would now now not like any doubt that she additionally cares concerning the destiny of her country.”
Belarusian officers weren’t straight away available for commentary.
Tsikhanouskaya officially won 10 p.c of the vote within the Sunday election, in comparison with Lukashenko’s landslide 80 p.c, however the outcomes were disputed by Belarusian opposition.
She grew to change exact into a surprise opposition superstar within the months leading as much as the election, rallying tens of hundreds of supporters, alongside with two varied female opposition figures, within the greatest demonstrate of discontent Belarus has seen in a decade. She promised to name a brand new, comely election if she won.
Tsikhanouskaya entered the speed after her husband, a political blogger who had hoped to bustle for president, changed into jailed. Her departure is at risk of be a bitter pill for her supporters, who like been protesting the outcomes since Sunday.
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Maria Kolesnikova, one in all Tikhanouskaya’s aides, said in a press conference Tuesday she has had no communication with her since she left the country.
Kolesnikova said she helps Tikhanouskaya and “can’t even agree with” the preference she needed to extinguish.
“Svetlana, if you happen to can hear me, I toughen you. You would per chance presumably perhaps also be a hero,” Kolesnikova said. “You will like performed plenty for Belarus and Belarusian folks.”
Tsikhanouskaya’s varied campaign aide, Olga Kovalkova, said at the equal briefing that she has now now not seen Svetlana since she went into the electoral commission space of job to resort a formal complaint about election outcomes on Monday.
She said earlier than they parted, Tsikhanouskaya had no intention to toddle away the country, so that they were taken aback about her determination.
“I concentrate on she made the determination at that second, and presumably underneath stress from Belarusian authorities,” Kovalkova said.
With early exit polloutcomes exhibiting Lukashenko’s astronomical lead Sunday night time, hundreds of folks took to the streets of capital Minsk and loads of alternative varied cities.
Police cracked down on protesters with creep gasoline and stun grenades amid frequent cyber web and cell phone outages.
The country’s interior ministry said 89 folks were injured all the contrivance in which through the protests unhurried Sunday and early Monday, alongside side 39 law enforcement officers, and about 3,000 folks were detained.
The demonstrations continued Monday night time, with police utilizing water cannon and firing rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of folks in Minsk. Protesters additionally attach up barricades in loads of areas and threw Molotov cocktails.
One protester has died, the Linked Press reported, citing the interior ministry.
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In a Monday press briefing, Tsikhanouskaya, having a uncover drained and miserable, refused to concede.
“Certainly we cease now now not undercover agent these outcomes,” she told journalists.
Meanwhile, Lukashenko changed into defiant, calling the opposition “sheep” manipulated by foreign masters.
“We are going to now not enable them to creep the country apart,” he said.
The earlier Soviet collective farm boss has ruled Belarus, a nation of 9.5 million, with an iron fist since 1994.
But lengthy-standing grievances over stagnant economy, human rights and Lukashenko’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic like fueled opposition this 365 days.
The police crackdown on protesters drew harsh criticism from European officers and the U.S. and can like to aloof likely complicate Lukashenko’s efforts to repair ties with the West amid tensions with Russia, his principal ally.
In an announcement on Monday, Secretary of Tell Mike Pompeo said the election changed into “now now not free and comely,” condemning the ongoing violence.
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