Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya raised the issue of a new package of sanctions against the authorities in Minsk during a session with the envoys of EU countries in the UN on March 10.
“I have called and will call again for an independent, fair, and transparent international investigation into the serious human rights violations in Belarus […] It is time for real action: the international community should hold all those responsible for crimes accountable,” Tikhanovskaya was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Tikhanovskaya called on diplomats, as well as the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the EU to unite their efforts to resolve the crisis in Belarus and begin dialogue with representatives of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime.
Tikhanovskaya took part in the Belarusian presidential election after the Central Elections Commission refused to register the campaign of her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was subsequently detained. According to the official election results, Tikhanovskaya garnered slightly more than ten percent of the vote and ranked second in the presidential race.
A number of EU member states have recognized Tikhanovskaya as the leader of Belarusian opposition forces.
Belarus has seen continuous protests against the official results of the presidential election that took place on August 9, 2020. The authorities declared incumbent President Lukashenko the winner. Lukashenko has been in office since 1994. The opposition does not recognize the results of the presidential election, saying the election was rigged. The protesters are demanding Lukashenko’s resignation, the release of political prisoners, and a new election. The protests have become local recently.
