US and EU slam Belarus for police brutality
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Minsk — Protesters in Belarus rallied for a second night, continuing a campaign against President Alexander Lukashenko as fraud allegations and international criticism of police crackdowns against the opposition marred his claim of a landslide election victory.
“We do not recognise these results,” opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya told reporters on Monday. “We will do everything possible to challenge” them, she said, while urging the authorities to accept talks to avoid deepening social tensions.
In the capital, Minsk, people gathered in neighbourhoods, blocking parts of the street with cars and cheering from the sidewalks. During clashes with the police, one man died when an explosive detonated in his hand at a barricade at about 11pm local time, according to the interior ministry.
Tikhanovskaya was safe and in Lithuania, that country’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevicius, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. A day earlier, the opposition candidate’s team said she would stay away from demonstrations to avoid a possible provocation, RIA Novosti reported.
US and European leaders spoke out Monday after riot police used water cannons and flash grenades to confront crowds the night before. There was “unacceptable state violence against peaceful protesters”, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. Poland urged the bloc to call an emergency summit on the crisis, while Germany said Belarus failed to meet minimum election standards.
“The US is deeply concerned about the conduct of the August 9 presidential election in Belarus, which was not free and fair,” secretary of state Michael Pompeo said. “We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters.”
President Donald Trump questioned the “intimidation of opposition candidates” and urged the government to “respect the right to peaceably assemble,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at an earlier briefing.
Russia, China and Turkey congratulated Lukashenko, 65, on his victory.
The US and EU have imposed and removed sanctions against the former Soviet collective farm boss who sought to crush public dissent during elections since coming to power 26 years ago. Lukashenko started to make overtures to the US and EU last year as the Kremlin increased pressure on him to integrate with Russia and hosted Pompeo in February, the highest-ranking US official to travel to the country in more than 25 years.
Belarus’s dollar-denominated bonds due in 2031 fell for a third straight session on Monday, pushing the yield up 12 basis points to 6.91%, the highest this ...
“We do not recognise these results,” opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya told reporters on Monday. “We will do everything possible to challenge” them, she said, while urging the authorities to accept talks to avoid deepening social tensions.
In the capital, Minsk, people gathered in neighbourhoods, blocking parts of the street with cars and cheering from the sidewalks. During clashes with the police, one man died when an explosive detonated in his hand at a barricade at about 11pm local time, according to the interior ministry.
Tikhanovskaya was safe and in Lithuania, that country’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevicius, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. A day earlier, the opposition candidate’s team said she would stay away from demonstrations to avoid a possible provocation, RIA Novosti reported.
US and European leaders spoke out Monday after riot police used water cannons and flash grenades to confront crowds the night before. There was “unacceptable state violence against peaceful protesters”, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. Poland urged the bloc to call an emergency summit on the crisis, while Germany said Belarus failed to meet minimum election standards.
“The US is deeply concerned about the conduct of the August 9 presidential election in Belarus, which was not free and fair,” secretary of state Michael Pompeo said. “We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters.”
President Donald Trump questioned the “intimidation of opposition candidates” and urged the government to “respect the right to peaceably assemble,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at an earlier briefing.
Russia, China and Turkey congratulated Lukashenko, 65, on his victory.
The US and EU have imposed and removed sanctions against the former Soviet collective farm boss who sought to crush public dissent during elections since coming to power 26 years ago. Lukashenko started to make overtures to the US and EU last year as the Kremlin increased pressure on him to integrate with Russia and hosted Pompeo in February, the highest-ranking US official to travel to the country in more than 25 years.
Belarus’s dollar-denominated bonds due in 2031 fell for a third straight session on Monday, pushing the yield up 12 basis points to 6.91%, the highest this ...
