the-newsmakers

Belarus Opposition Leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Speaks Out

Europe’s longest serving ruler, President Alexander Lukshenko is facing unprecedented opposition to his power, especially after he claimed a sixth term in a widely disputed election on 9 August 2020. Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya speaks out against the president’s aggressive crackdown on all forms of dissent. In the last 24 hours alone, a political activist, facing charges of organising the opposition, stabbed himself in the neck during his court appearance. On May 23, President Lukshenko used his air force and a false bomb threat to ground a civilian airliner in Minsk. Opposition journalist Roman Protasevichand his fiancé were removed from the flight. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says Lukshenko needs to be hit with strong sanctions. Russia has pledged to support Belarus in the face of any pressure from Europe, but the support so far has been very costly. The EU is offering 3billion euros to Belarus in return for a transition to democracy. Will Belarusians see a country free from authoritarian rule any time soon? Guests: Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Belarus Opposition Leader Katsiaryna Shmatsina Research Fellow at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies Kirill Koktysh Political Theory Professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations

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