Copyright
Reuters
Thousands gathered on Saturday in the capital Minsk as protests over the vote continued
The leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have called on Belarus to hold ‘free and fair’ elections after its contested presidential vote.
In a joint statement, the three prime ministers called for a new election with the involvement of international observers.
Mass protests erupted after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in the August 9 vote.
The result has been condemned with widespread accusations of mood-rigging.
On Friday, foreign ministers decided to prepare foreign sanctions on Belarusian officials responsible for “counterfeiting”. The US also condemned the election as “not free and fair”.
The Central Election Commission says Mr Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won 80.1% of the vote and main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya 10.12%.
But Ms Tikhanovskaya notes that, where votes were well counted, she won support from 60% to 70%.
Protests against President Lukashenko continued on Saturday, with thousands marching in the capital Minsk.
What did the Baltic leaders say?
In a joint statement on Saturday, the prime ministers of the three Baltic republics – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – “expressed deep concern over the violent collapse … and the political repression of the opposition by the authorities”.
The leaders said the presidential election was “neither free nor fair” and called for a “transparent” vote “with the participation of international observers”.
“The prime ministers are urging the Belarussian authorities to refrain from violence against peaceful protesters [and to] release all political prisoners and those detained, “the statement added.
Media playback is not supported on your device
Ms Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania after the elections after announcing the results publicly. She said he sent her children to Lithuania for safety for the vote.
Lithuania and Latvia have also previously said they are ready to mediate in Belarus, provided the authorities stop violence against Protestants and form a national council with members of civil society. They warned it was alternative sanctions.
What’s the latest with the protests?
Opposition groups called for the funeral of a man who died during last week’s demonstrations in the capital Minsk on Saturday.
Thousands of people waved flags, lit candles and laid flowers on the stage at the subway station where Alexander Taraikovsky died. Others held up photos of wounded Protestants while drivers approached them by honking their horns.
A “March for Freedom” is planned in the city center on Sunday, a week after the contested election.
Copyright
Reuters
People laid flowers and waved banners near a subway station where a protester died
It follows Ms Tikhanovskaya’s call for further peaceful meetings across the country on Friday. “Don’t stay on the sidelines,” she said.
Meanwhile, state media reported that Mr Lukashenko had discussed the situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
Mr Lukashenko had said he would talk to Mr Putin because the protests were “no longer a threat to Belarus.
Media playback is not supported on your device
Some 6,700 people were arrested in the wake of the elections, and many spoke of torture at the hands of the security services.
Amnesty International said accounts of released detainees suggested “widespread torture”.
More on the protests in Belarus
Prisoners were released Friday from the infamous Okrestina detention center in Minsk on Friday, revealing their murdered and swollen bodies.
“They beat people cruelly, with impunity, and arrested everyone. We were forced to stand in the garden all night. We could hear women being beaten. I do not understand such cruelty,” one man told the BBC. his bruising.
Belarus’s Interior Minister Yuri Karayev said he was taking responsibility for the victims and wanted to apologize to the victims.
