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Belarus has been holding massive protests for nearly four months since the August 9 presidential elections, which were officially announced by Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994. The opposition and western democracies consider the election rigged, and the real winner is Sviatlan Cichanouska, a political rookie who ran in place of her incarcerated husband.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Lukashenko, the release of political prisoners and new elections.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the human rights situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate, and peaceful protesters are persecuted with disproportionate force. From the beginning of the protests in Belarus until the beginning of December, more than 27 thousand people were arrested. people. Hundreds of protesters were arrested each week in November, protesters were reportedly increasingly treated and punished. Several people lost their lives.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and a chain of allies for violating electoral fraud and violently suppressing demonstrations.
Several prominent Belarusian athletes have signed a petition calling for an end to the violence and new elections. Among the signatories is the basketball player Alena Leučanka, who has participated in the Olympic Games twice, who was arrested at the Minsk airport in September while trying to leave the country and was imprisoned for 15 days for participating in protests.
Speaking on Monday after an executive board meeting in Lausanne on Monday, IOC President Thomas Bach said that “the current NOK leadership has not adequately protected Belarusian athletes from political discrimination in the NOK, its federations sports or sports movements “.
“This is contrary to the basic principles of the Olympic Charter and therefore seriously affects the reputation of the Olympic movement,” he added.
Therefore, it has been decided to withdraw from all IOC events and activities, including the Olympic Games, the currently elected members of the Belarusian NOK Executive Committee, including President Lukashenko.
In addition, the IOC suspended “all financial payments to the Belarusian NOK, except payments related to the preparation of Belarusian athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.”
The IOC also called on international sports federations to “ensure that all eligible Belarusian athletes can participate in the qualifying events of the next Olympic Games without political discrimination.”
Lukashenko, for his part, said Tuesday that such a decision by the IOC “should go to court.”
“We have to go to court. Let Bach and the gang tell me what I am guilty of. That I am defending my country?” Lukashenko is quoted by Pulpervogo, a telegram channel close to the presidency.
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