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Almost a month has passed since the Belarusian presidential elections, which, like all editions since 1994, ended in the same way. But despite the fact that Alexander Lukashenko remains the country’s leader, the election has sparked strong protests. And despite the security forces cracking down on protesters and arresting journalists, the will to demonstrate does not appear to be waning.
– What happened since August 9 (Election Day, editor’s note) is terrible and will not be forgotten or forgiven. But the crimes against the Belarusian people forced them to continue taking to the streets, says Svetlana Tichanovskaya.
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The opposition leader is still in exile in Lithuania, where she said she traveled for her own safety. From there, she has called for more protests against Lukashenko. However, it did not sound like a video that was released by the state news agency shortly after she left the country.
In it, the message was the opposite, something that made her co-workers suspect that Tichanovskaya was forced to record the video.
She herself does not want to comment on the speculation.
– I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Maybe in the future.
“We are the majority”
While you are safe, call for continued protests with all the risks involved. How do you look at it?
– I understand my responsibility, but I am only a source of inspiration, not a leader. In the current situation, each Belarusian is her own leader, says Tichanovskaya.
Despite this, she has been described as a leader of the opposition, a description she draws on.
– There is no opposition, we are the majority. A majority that wants to live in a safe and free country where no one is arrested for having expressed their opinion and where they can vote for the president they want.
See the full interview at Schedule, at 9:15 p.m. on SVT 2.
