Belarusian security forces signed an open letter on dishonest elections and criminal orders

This material is also available in Ukrainian.

Belarusian security forces brutally disperse mass protests (Photo: Tut.by)

The text of the appeal was published on the NEXTA Live Telegram channel.

The signatories demand to invalidate the elections of August 9, 2020 and hold new elections in accordance with international standards. In his opinion, this is the only way to resolve the crisis, unite society and restore the rule of law and legality in the country.

At the same time, the letter notes that the actions of the leaders of various Belarusian power and law enforcement structures led to the discrediting of security officers in the eyes of society, “inflicting an irreparable blow to the prestige of the profession. “.

“Plus of us we are worthy people and true professionals in their field. However, a large number of our colleagues were dragged into the execution of criminal orders by a group of people who illegally hold power in our country ”, say the signatories.

For security reasons, the signatures are collected anonymously. The names of the signatories will be made public when their number exceeds 1000.

It should be recalled that for four months, the massive protests and strikes against the Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime, which has ruled the country since 1994, harshly repressed the opposition and the independent media, have been carried out in Belarus for four months. .

Protests broke out after Lukashenko’s rigged victory in the August 9 presidential election. Belarusians are demanding new fair elections, as well as the release of political prisoners.

The peaceful protests were accompanied by bloody attacks by security agents controlled by Lukashenka. Riot police used water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades against the civilian population. The crackdown on anti-government demonstrations killed at least four protesters.

Thousands of people were arrested during the protests. Many were detained for several days in overcrowded pre-trial detention centers, subjected to cruel and inhuman torture and punishment. The UN reported 450 cases of torture.

The Belarusian dictator rejected any concessions and attempts at dialogue with protesters and the opposition, repeatedly claiming that Belarus’ western neighbors, as well as the United States, were behind the wave of popular protests.

After an attempt to forcibly suppress the demonstrations, opposition representatives announced the creation of a Coordination Council, and former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya presented an ultimatum to Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, following which a national strike was declared. .

In turn, the heads of the EU countries refused to acknowledge the election results and introduced sanctions against Belarusian officials involved in falsifying the voting results and using violence against protesters, and sanctions against Lukashenko. Ukraine also acknowledged that the elections in Belarus were rigged and on November 20 it joined the EU sanctions against Belarusian officials.

At the same time, Russia immediately recognized the legitimacy of the results of the presidential elections in the republic.