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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with several opposition prisoners and members of the Coordination Council. The conversation in the remand prison of the KGB secret service lasted four and a half hours, reported the Telegram channel “Pul Pervogo”, which is affiliated with Belarusian state television.
A photo published by this channel shows Lukashenko in a dark sweater arguing with the opposition at an oval table decorated with flowers. Silence had been agreed on the content, he said. Later, representatives of the opposition criticized that it was absurd to hold round tables in prison. The most prominent participant of the opposition was the bank director and politician Viktor Babariko. The 56-year-old wanted to compete against Lukashenko in the presidential election, but ended up in jail before the election campaign could really begin.
Lukashenko is said to have said at the meeting: “The constitution is not written on the street.” According to information from the opposition portal “Nexta”, it is said that he has discussed changes to the constitution with the opposition.
In Belarus, people have been protesting against President Lukashenko on a regular basis since the controversial presidential elections in early August. The president, who has been in power for more than a quarter of a century, claims the electoral victory after the polls in early August with a result of more than 80 percent. The EU does not recognize the outcome of the elections. The opposition in Belarus sees Svetlana Tichanovskaya as the real winner.
Opposition leader may phone her husband in custody for the first time
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya was allowed to speak with her husband, blogger Sergei Tichanovsky, who is critical of the government, for the first time since her arrest. Tichanowski wanted to compete against Lukashenko in the presidential elections, but was rejected. It was the first conversation in 134 days, Tichanovskaya, 38, wrote on the Telegram news channel on Saturday.
Her husband has been detained since the end of May. Tichanovskaya ran in his place in the elections and was the only member of the opposition to be admitted. After the presidential elections, he fled to Lithuania.
Meanwhile, Britain has temporarily withdrawn its ambassador, Jacqueline Perkins, from Belarus. Chancellor Dominic Raab justified the measure with solidarity with Poland and Lithuania. The two EU states have accepted opposition members from the neighboring country. Under pressure from the leadership in Minsk, they had to withdraw numerous diplomats. In solidarity with Poland and Lithuania, several EU states, including Germany, have ordered the return of their ambassadors.
