Latest news with #Tsikhanouskaya
Euronews
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Belarus' opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya says regime change just a matter of time
ADVERTISEMENT What Vladimir Putin wants is not only the annexation of territories, but loyal regimes and the full 'Russification' of countries, says Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She told Euronews that although the protest movement in her country was mostly forced underground, it also means people are preparing to rise up when the time is right. Speaking about whether changes in Russia can have an influence on Belarus, Tsikhanouskaya thinks "something can happen in Russia and hence it will weaken Alexander Lukashenko and people will rise up again. It might be victory for Ukraine. It will weaken Putin and weaken Lukashenko." "But changes in Russia can start from changes in Belarus as well," Tsikhanouskaya added, saying there are "more possibilities to change regime in Belarus, than in Russia." Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to journalists as he arrives at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, 13 March, 2025 AP Photo "This constant repression that we have been going through for four, almost five years, already hasn't made people forgive or forget, or to deny their pro-European perspectives." According to the Belarusian human rights center Vyasna, over 50,000 people have been detained on political grounds after mass protests broke out following Lukashenko's 2020 presidential election win and at least 5,472 people have been convicted in politically-motivated criminal cases. The United Nations estimates that around 300,000 Belarusians have left the country since then, with most going to Poland and Lithuania. Even today, between 15 and 20 people are being detained in Belarus every day, according to Tsikhanouskaya. "He (Lukashenko) behaves as if he still has thousands of people standing in front of his palace," she says. "This visible quietness of the country doesn't mean that people gave up. It means that people are preparing and they will be ready when there will be the possibility."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belarus people haven't given up on toppling the regime, just a question of time
What the Russian president wants is not only the actual annexation of territories, but loyal regimes and full russification of countries and nations, says Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She told Euronews that although the protest movement in her country had to go mostly underground it also means people are getting ready to rise up in the right moment. Speaking of whether changes in Belarus can come from changes in Russia, Tsikhanouskaya thinks "something can happen in Russia and hence it will be weaker Alyaksandr Lukashenka and people will rise up again. It might be victory of Ukraine - it also will weaken Putin and weaken Lukashenka". 'But the changes in Russia can start from changes in Belarus as well', Tsikhanouskaya added, saying there are "more possibilities to change regime in Belarus, than in Russia". 'All this constant repressions that we are going through for 4, almost 5 years already haven't made people forget or forgive or to deny their pro-European perspectives'. According to Belarusian human rights center Vyasna, over 50 000 people have been detained for political reasons after mass protests broke out following the August 2020 presidential election and at least 5,472 people have been convicted in politically motivated criminal cases. The United Nations estimates that some 300,000 Belarusians have left the country since then, mostly to Poland and Lithuania. The 2020 protests were triggered by the results of the election that gave Alyaksandr Lukashenka his sixth term in office. Still now, 15 to 20 people are being detained in Belarus every day, according to Tsikhanouskaya: "He (Lukashenka) behaves as if he still has thousands of people standing in front of his palace". 'This visible quietness of the country doesn't mean that people gave up. It means that people are preparing and they will be ready when there will be the possibility.'
CNN
27-01-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Lukashenko sweeps to victory in Belarus after stage-managed election
Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's longest-serving leader, has extended his 31-year rule in Belarus after being declared the winner of a presidential election that his exiled opponents and Western countries have denounced as a sham. Unlike in 2020, when Lukashenko allowed an unusually competitive election and faced the greatest threat to his regime since he came to power in 1994, Sunday's result was never in doubt. In this stage-managed affair, Lukashenko faced only token opposition, with one candidate admitting he was running merely 'alongside' the strongman leader, not instead of him. Official results released early Monday found Lukashenko had won in another landslide with 86.8% of the vote. The result grants Lukashenko a seventh term in power and cements his grip on the former Soviet republic, a major Russian ally that has played a key role in Moscow's war against Ukraine, from serving as a launching pad for its full-scale invasion in February 2022 to becoming a staging post for Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Lukashenko's reliance on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has deepened since the last Belarusian election in 2020, when he faced an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice who entered the race after her husband, Sergei, was jailed and prevented from running. Although official figures said Lukashenko won by a landslide in 2020, Tsikhanouskaya claimed victory and spearheaded huge protests, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand the end of Lukashenko's regime. With Moscow's backing, the regime responded brutally, imprisoning tens of thousands of protesters and driving Tsikhanouskaya and others into exile. According to Viasna, a Belarusian human rights group, the regime is still holding more than 1,200 political prisoners. The crackdown was so brutal that Tsikhanouskaya, now living in neighboring Lithuania, declined to call for public protests this time round. Instead, she asked Belarusians simply to vote against all candidates on the heavily-vetted ballots. Her opposition movement called the vote a 'a meticulously orchestrated charade designed to perpetuate the illegitimate dictator's grip on power.' In a lengthy news conference after casting his vote on Sunday, Lukashenko maintained that Belarus is a democracy because his rivals were given a choice. 'Some chose prison, others chose exile,' he told the BBC. Lukashenko also told reporters that he did not care whether the West recognizes Belarus' election or not. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said the vote was 'neither free nor fair,' calling it 'a blatant affront to democracy.' The Kremlin, however, hailed Lukashenko's victory. China's President Xi Jinping also congratulated him. The 70-year-old Lukashenko has given little indication that he intends to step down, even after his seventh term, Nigel Gould-Davies, the former UK ambassador to Belarus, told CNN. Gould-Davies, who is now a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that Lukashenko is unlikely to relinquish power on his own accord. 'Dictators, even if they want to, fear stepping down voluntarily,' he told CNN. 'It's a secret weakness of autocracies.' Before Sunday's vote, Lukashenko mocked opposition leaders who he said were waiting for him to 'drop dead,' telling them: 'Don't hold your breath.'
CNN
27-01-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Lukashenko sweeps to victory in Belarus after stage-managed election
Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's longest-serving leader, has extended his 31-year rule in Belarus after being declared the winner of a presidential election that his exiled opponents and Western countries have denounced as a sham. Unlike in 2020, when Lukashenko allowed an unusually competitive election and faced the greatest threat to his regime since he came to power in 1994, Sunday's result was never in doubt. In this stage-managed affair, Lukashenko faced only token opposition, with one candidate admitting he was running merely 'alongside' the strongman leader, not instead of him. Official results released early Monday found Lukashenko had won in another landslide with 86.8% of the vote. The result grants Lukashenko a seventh term in power and cements his grip on the former Soviet republic, a major Russian ally that has played a key role in Moscow's war against Ukraine, from serving as a launching pad for its full-scale invasion in February 2022 to becoming a staging post for Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Lukashenko's reliance on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has deepened since the last Belarusian election in 2020, when he faced an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice who entered the race after her husband, Sergei, was jailed and prevented from running. Although official figures said Lukashenko won by a landslide in 2020, Tsikhanouskaya claimed victory and spearheaded huge protests, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand the end of Lukashenko's regime. With Moscow's backing, the regime responded brutally, imprisoning tens of thousands of protesters and driving Tsikhanouskaya and others into exile. According to Viasna, a Belarusian human rights group, the regime is still holding more than 1,200 political prisoners. The crackdown was so brutal that Tsikhanouskaya, now living in neighboring Lithuania, declined to call for public protests this time round. Instead, she asked Belarusians simply to vote against all candidates on the heavily-vetted ballots. Her opposition movement called the vote a 'a meticulously orchestrated charade designed to perpetuate the illegitimate dictator's grip on power.' In a lengthy news conference after casting his vote on Sunday, Lukashenko maintained that Belarus is a democracy because his rivals were given a choice. 'Some chose prison, others chose exile,' he told the BBC. Lukashenko also told reporters that he did not care whether the West recognizes Belarus' election or not. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said the vote was 'neither free nor fair,' calling it 'a blatant affront to democracy.' The Kremlin, however, hailed Lukashenko's victory. China's President Xi Jinping also congratulated him. The 70-year-old Lukashenko has given little indication that he intends to step down, even after his seventh term, Nigel Gould-Davies, the former UK ambassador to Belarus, told CNN. Gould-Davies, who is now a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that Lukashenko is unlikely to relinquish power on his own accord. 'Dictators, even if they want to, fear stepping down voluntarily,' he told CNN. 'It's a secret weakness of autocracies.' Before Sunday's vote, Lukashenko mocked opposition leaders who he said were waiting for him to 'drop dead,' telling them: 'Don't hold your breath.'
CNN
27-01-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Lukashenko sweeps to victory in Belarus after stage-managed election
Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's longest-serving leader, has extended his 31-year rule in Belarus after being declared the winner of a presidential election that his exiled opponents and Western countries have denounced as a sham. Unlike in 2020, when Lukashenko allowed an unusually competitive election and faced the greatest threat to his regime since he came to power in 1994, Sunday's result was never in doubt. In this stage-managed affair, Lukashenko faced only token opposition, with one candidate admitting he was running merely 'alongside' the strongman leader, not instead of him. Official results released early Monday found Lukashenko had won in another landslide with 86.8% of the vote. The result grants Lukashenko a seventh term in power and cements his grip on the former Soviet republic, a major Russian ally that has played a key role in Moscow's war against Ukraine, from serving as a launching pad for its full-scale invasion in February 2022 to becoming a staging post for Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Lukashenko's reliance on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has deepened since the last Belarusian election in 2020, when he faced an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice who entered the race after her husband, Sergei, was jailed and prevented from running. Although official figures said Lukashenko won by a landslide in 2020, Tsikhanouskaya claimed victory and spearheaded huge protests, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand the end of Lukashenko's regime. With Moscow's backing, the regime responded brutally, imprisoning tens of thousands of protesters and driving Tsikhanouskaya and others into exile. According to Viasna, a Belarusian human rights group, the regime is still holding more than 1,200 political prisoners. The crackdown was so brutal that Tsikhanouskaya, now living in neighboring Lithuania, declined to call for public protests this time round. Instead, she asked Belarusians simply to vote against all candidates on the heavily-vetted ballots. Her opposition movement called the vote a 'a meticulously orchestrated charade designed to perpetuate the illegitimate dictator's grip on power.' In a lengthy news conference after casting his vote on Sunday, Lukashenko maintained that Belarus is a democracy because his rivals were given a choice. 'Some chose prison, others chose exile,' he told the BBC. Lukashenko also told reporters that he did not care whether the West recognizes Belarus' election or not. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said the vote was 'neither free nor fair,' calling it 'a blatant affront to democracy.' The Kremlin, however, hailed Lukashenko's victory. China's President Xi Jinping also congratulated him. The 70-year-old Lukashenko has given little indication that he intends to step down, even after his seventh term, Nigel Gould-Davies, the former UK ambassador to Belarus, told CNN. Gould-Davies, who is now a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that Lukashenko is unlikely to relinquish power on his own accord. 'Dictators, even if they want to, fear stepping down voluntarily,' he told CNN. 'It's a secret weakness of autocracies.' Before Sunday's vote, Lukashenko mocked opposition leaders who he said were waiting for him to 'drop dead,' telling them: 'Don't hold your breath.'
