Belarus, one year after the protests, Lukashenko announces: I will leave the presidency very soon

One year after the elections in Belarus that sparked mass protests in the country, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko denied the harsh repression of dissidents and announced that "very soon" he will leave the presidency. While the UK and the US have launched new sanctions against the regime. "There have been no repressions in my country, and there never will be," the president said during the annual press conference on the first anniversary of the vote that awarded him the sixth term and which was judged fraudulent by the opposition and the 'West. Lukashenko then ruled out the possibility of political integration with the Russian Federation, and said, answering questions from reporters, that he will leave office "very soon", but not indicating a precise date.In his opening speech, Lukashenko defended the regularity of the elections and accused the opposition of preparing a coup. Belarus has been rocked by months of protests triggered by the re-election of the authoritarian leader, the largest of which saw up to 200,000 people participate. The Belarusian authorities responded to the protests with a harsh crackdown that saw over 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by the police. Important opposition figures have been jailed or forced to leave the country. The situation in the country has returned to the center of the international debate in recent days for the Belarusian Olympic sprinter, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya,who at the Tokyo Games accused the country's officials of trying to get her back on a plane to Belarus after publicly criticizing her team's management. The athlete refused to board the plane and sought refuge in Poland. Lukashenko accused her of being a "stooge" of foreigners, accusing her of being "manipulated". While, on the affair of the activist Vitaly Shishov, found hanged in Ukraine, he rejected the accusations of involvement of the regime in his assassination. Meanwhile, opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, currently in exile in Lithuania, has urged Western nations to impose more sanctions on Belarus. Appeal that was accepted by both the United Kingdom and the United States.London imposed a package of commercial, financial and aviation measures, while the Biden administration targeted 27 individuals and 17 entities, including the Olympic Committee, accused of facilitating money laundering, evasion of sanctions and avoidance of visa bans. "It is the responsibility of all those who care about human rights, free and fair elections and freedom of expression to oppose this oppression," the US president said in a statement.free and fair elections and freedom of expression to oppose this oppression, "said the US president in a statement.free and fair elections and freedom of expression to oppose this oppression, "said the US president in a statement.

Alexander Lukashenko (Andrei Stasevich / BelTA photo via AP)

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August 09, 2021A year after the elections in Belarus sparked mass protests in the country, authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko denied the harsh crackdown on dissidents and announced that "very soon" he will leave the presidency. While the UK and the US have launched new sanctions against the regime.

"There have been no repressions in my country, and there never will be," the president said during the annual press conference on the first anniversary of the vote that awarded him the sixth term and which was judged fraudulent by the opposition and the 'West.

Lukashenko then ruled out the possibility of political integration with the Russian Federation, and said, answering questions from reporters, that he will leave office "very soon", but not indicating a precise date.

In his opening speech, Lukashenko defended the regularity of the elections and accused the opposition of preparing a coup.

Belarus has been rocked by months of protests triggered by the re-election of the authoritarian leader, the largest of which saw up to 200,000 people participate. The Belarusian authorities responded to the protests with a harsh crackdown that saw over 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by the police.

Important opposition figures have been jailed or forced to leave the country.

The situation in the country has returned to the center of international debate in recent days for the Belarusian Olympic sprinter, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who at the Tokyo Games accused the country's officials of trying to get her back on a plane to Belarus after publicly criticizing the management of his team. The athlete refused to board the plane and sought refuge in Poland. Lukashenko accused her of being a "stooge" of foreigners, accusing her of being "manipulated".

While, on the affair of the activist Vitaly Shishov, found hanged in Ukraine, he rejected the accusations of involvement of the regime in his assassination.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, currently in exile in Lithuania, has urged Western nations to impose more sanctions on Belarus.

Appeal that was accepted by both the United Kingdom and the United States. London imposed a package of commercial, financial and aviation measures, while the Biden administration targeted 27 individuals and 17 entities, including the Olympic Committee, accused of facilitating money laundering, evasion of sanctions and avoidance of visa bans.

"It is the responsibility of all those who care about human rights, free and fair elections and freedom of expression to oppose this oppression," the US president said in a statement.

Belarus, one year after the protests, Lukashenko announces: I will leave the presidency very soon

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