- Belarus: Lukashenko has the army deploy on the western border of the country
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19 August 2020 "I ask you not to recognize these fraudulent elections". This is what Svetlana Tikhanovskaya affirms, this time in English in a new video released on YouTube, which was reported by the Russian agency Tass this morning on the day of the extraordinary European summit dedicated to Belarus. Tikhanovskaya fled her country to take refuge in Lithuania after challenging Alexander Lukashenko in the contested presidential elections on 9 August."The elections of 9 August were neither fair nor transparent - says Tikhanovskaya - The results were rigged". "The people who took to the streets in the cities of Belarus to defend their vote were brutally beaten, thrown in prison and tortured by the regime", he denounces again in the video, speaking of what is happening "now in the heart of Europe".
Today European council on post-election violence
President Charles Michel has convened a videoconference of the members of the European Council for today at 12 to discuss the situation in Belarus. "The citizens of Belarus have the right to decide their future and freely elect their leader. Violence against protesters is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated," said Michel. The EU believes that the presidential elections of 9 August were neither free nor fair. Credible reports from national observers show that the electoral process did not comply with the international standards that an OSCE member state should respect. Following the protests, state authorities made "disproportionate and unacceptable use of violence, resulting in at least two deaths and numerous injuries. Thousands of people were arrested and repression of freedom of assembly, media and freedom of speech was tightened. expression ", reads the presentation page of today's European Council. On 14 August 2020, EU foreign affairs ministers reiterated that they did not accept the election results as presented by the Central Electoral Commission of Belarus and agreed on the need to sanction those responsible for violence, repression and falsification of election results . Ministers also called on the Belarusian authorities to put an end to the disproportionate and unacceptable violence against peaceful protesters and to release those arrested.
The EU has called on Belarusian political leaders to participate "in a genuine and inclusive dialogue" with society as a whole in order to avoid further violence. The EU supports the Belarusian people in their desire for democratic change. Russian President Vladimir Putin had telephone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel. The message was clear: Moscow wants neither pressure nor interference from foreign powers on Minsk's internal affairs. Last August 15, during a telephone conversation with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin promised to "assist", if necessary, Belarus "according to the common military pact if necessary". Lukashenko flexes his muscles and warns the troops present along the western border of the country. Everything happens when the protests continue in the country, with continuous strikes in the country's factories.