Leaders of the European Union (EU) on Wednesday in solidarity with Belarus in protest of democratic rights and demanded the dismissal of President Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of the 26-year-old country, once described as “the last dictator of Europe. “
“The European Union stands in solidarity with the people of Belarus, and we do not accept impunity,” said European Council President Charles Michel after EU officials held a virtual emergency summit. “We do not recognize the results presented by the Belarussian authorities.”
The 27-nation bloc also threatens sanctions on “a substantial number” of people linked to violence and election fraud, Michel said, while refusing to name anyone.
WHO IS WHITE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, ‘THE LAST DICTATOR OF EUROPE’?
This Sunday, August 16, 2020 file photo Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko addresses his supporters gathered in the Independent Square of Minsk, Belarus. (AP photo / Dmitri Lovetsky, file)
Lukashenko, who has led the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million since 1994, demanded victory for a sixth term on August 9. Message received 80% of the vote. The opposition candidate – 37-year-old Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who united fractured opposition groups and pulled tens of thousands to ride her support – received only 10% of the vote in an election that was widely seen as rigged.
Since the results, an “alarm clock from Belarus” has taken place on the streets of Minsk, the capital, with unusual mass protests taking place on its 11th day on Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of people protested, and workers at state-owned enterprises also went on strike this week.
Has Belarus reached a tipping point? Thousands of protesters do not buy election results
In this Sunday, August 16, 2020 file photo Belarusian opposition leaders rally in the center of Minsk, Belarus. (AP photo / Dmitri Lovetsky, file)
During the first four days of demonstrations, more than 7,000 people were arrested and hundreds more injured with rubber bullets, stun grenades and clubs. At least three Protestants have died.
In an unverified video posted on Twitter – which had been viewed nearly 1 million times – a unique form of protest could be seen, with giant bound balls making their way into a street, one of which resembles the face of the to have president on.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday that the elections “were not fair yet free and that one cannot recognize the result”, while condemning “brutal violence” against peaceful Protestants and calling on the regime to release prisoners.
In this Sunday, August 16, 2020 file photo Belarusian opposition leaders rally in the center of Minsk, Belarus. (AP photo / Sergei Grits, file)
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: “The people of #Belarus want change. And they want it now. They demand the release of all unjustly detained people and the prosecution of those responsible for police brutality. They want democracy and new presidential elections. “
“The EU stands with the people of Belarus,” she added.
WHITE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT HECKLED BY FACTORY WORKERS, SET THERE NOW WANT NEW ELECTIONS ‘UNTIL YOU KILL ME’
Ahead of the virtual EU summit on Wednesday, opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya released a video calling on the EU to “support the wake-up call” and not recognize the “fraudulent elections” that sparked the mass protests.
“Mr Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world,” she said.
In this video clip provided by the campaign agency Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya via the Associated Press Television, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, former candidate for the presidential election, makes an address from Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya campaign office AP)
Meanwhile, Lukashenko blew the EU ahead of the virtual meeting, saying its support for the protests was “impossible.”
Lukashenko instructed his government to “give the official point of view” on the post-election protests to the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine and to “warn them – not to be ashamed” of the responsibility for restless unrest. “
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also accused the EU of “attempting direct interference” in Belarus’ internal affairs.
AMID BELARUS PROTESTS, LITHUANIA EYES AMERICAN SUPPORT: ‘THE US ALWAYS HAS A VOICE OF DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM’
Some experts believe that causing unrest with Lukashenko and his staff could drive Belarus into the hands of Russia – which by comparison has offered military aid to Lukashenko as needed; and others think Russia could end in unrest. However, experts also believe that Belarusians only want to secure independence and not seek a relationship with the EU, Moscow or NATO.
On the eve of the meeting, Michel had a half-hour telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to share the European bloc’s concerns about parts of elections and the extent of the security breach and to impress upon him the right to Belarusians to determine their own future, reported on ways to encourage talks between the opposition and Lukashenko.
The presidents of the Visegrad Four – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – also called on Belarusian authorities to “pave the way for a political solution, and to adhere to fundamental human rights and freedoms, while renouncing the use of force against the peaceful protesters. “
In a joint statement, they called on “foreign actors to refrain from actions that undermine Belarus’ independence and sovereignty.”
On Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US was discussing Belarus’s election results and subsequent protests with the EU. The efforts to achieve were to “try as best as possible to help the Belarusian people achieve sovereignty and freedom,” he said in Warsaw while on a tour of Central Europe, Reuters reported.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
And the relatively small EU nation of Lithuania plays a major role as the protests erupt by giving way to Tsikhanouskaya. The Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Latvia, are also deeply involved in diplomatic efforts, such as Poland.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has called for new elections to be held, and that the results of the current elections are “unrecognizable.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
