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Photo by Judita Grigelytė (VŽ).
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Cichanouskaya issued a “people’s ultimatum” to the regime of authoritarian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko on Tuesday, threatening a nationwide strike if the head of state does not resign, violence against protesters stops and no release political prisoners.
“We just found out two months ago that we woke up on a day off and went to the polls. And we all voted for change, “Cichanouskaya said in a statement on Telegram. – Two months ago it was our last regular vacation. We went out to the streets to recover our voice, and for that we got bullets, sticks, cells and a cynical lie from the regime When they hit us, they ask: “Do you want a change?”, And they tell us: “Here’s the change.”
“We will answer: this is not a change. You have always planted us, and now you have started to plant more frequently. You have always intimidated us and now you have started to intimidate us even more. You have always hit the men and now you are also hitting the women, children, the elderly. Don’t try to portray this as a dialogue. This is state terror, “said S. Cichanouskaja.
“Two months have passed since the political crisis, violence and anarchy, and that is enough for us. On October 25, we announced a popular ultimatum. The regime has 13 days to meet three necessary requirements: Lukashenko must declare his resignation; the violence in the streets must stop completely, all political prisoners must be released, “added the leader of the opposition who left for Lithuania.
According to her, if these requirements are not met before October 25, “the whole country will take to the streets with a popular ultimatum.”
“And on October 26, a nationwide strike of all companies will begin, the blockade of all roads will be stopped and commerce in state stores will stop,” said S. Cichanouskaja.
“You have 13 days to fulfill the three conditions. We have 13 days to prepare and during all this time the Belarusians will continue their peaceful and persistent protest,” he added.
For more than two months there have been unprecedented protests in Belarus over the presidential elections on August 9, which Lukashenko has ruled the country since 1994. The opposition and Western countries consider these elections to be rigged.
Political novice S. Cichanouskaya is considered an election winner. The 38-year-old figure decided to run for president when her husband, Siarhei Cichanouski, who also intended to challenge Lukashenko, was jailed.
In recent weeks, Belarusian militias have arrested thousands of protesters. As a result of eyewitness reports of violence by militias and torture of detainees, the international community condemned Lukashenko’s regime, which had been sanctioned by the West.
Several people were killed in the suppression of protests in Belarus.
State terror
On Monday, the Interior Ministry of the former Soviet republic threatened to fire on the protesters with combat ammunition. This marked a sharp escalation of the opposition between Mr. Lukashenko and the protesters.
Cichanouskaya said on Tuesday that when the Belarusian authorities launched a “state terror”, it was time for Belarusians to choose what to support.
“Anyone who has not yet decided to advance towards the nation is an accomplice of terror. Make public that you no longer support the mode. Contact us through foundations, letters or even through acquaintances. If you don’t, it means that you are hitting our grandparents and grandparents with your hands now. It’s because you threatened them with a gun yesterday, perhaps also for the first time since their terrible childhood. [Antrąjį pasaulinį] war, “he said in a statement.
“We have said many times that we are ready for dialogue and negotiations. But talking behind bars is not a dialogue. Hitting your nation after statements about preparing for negotiations is not a dialogue. Lukashenko is killing his future and trying to rally the officials, force the workers and the entire Belarusian nation. But we will not allow that, “Cichanouskaya stressed, announcing the” people’s ultimatum. “
This statement by Cichanouskaya, who quickly won the support of Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, marks a change in his tone.
Over the weekend, the Belarusian authorities allowed Cichanouskaya to speak by phone with his imprisoned wife, Siarhei, who advised his wife to “toughen up” the regime.
At present, all the most important critics of A. Lukashenko are in custody or have left Belarus, including S. Cichanouskaja, who has gone to Lithuania.
It was also reported that Siarhei Dyleuskis, the last former member of the presidium of the Council for the Coordination of the Opposition in Belarus, had left the country and is currently in Warsaw.
Cichanouskaya’s supporters created a Coordination Council on August 18 to address the transfer of power in the run-up to new elections. The council’s presidium included prominent public figures, including the Nobel Prize Winner for Literature Sviatlan Aleksijevic, who is currently in Germany for medical treatment.
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