Exiled Belarus Politician: Don’t Forget Our Stolen Election
MOSCOW—For nearly three months after a contested election, the authoritarian leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has clung to power with police violence and beatings. And last week, he issued some of the starkest threats yet of more repression to come, raising worries of a crackdown while the world’s distracted attention is on the U.S. election.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, the 38-year-old leader of Belarus’ opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya—who is currently in exile in Lithuania, having fled the country after Lukashenko claimed victory—said the American election could also help resolve her country’s tumult. Tikhanovskaya said Belarus is facing the worst social crisis in Europe today, and she hopes that in a new term or with a new president, the United States will wake up to her country’s plight.
“You are the most powerful state, please pay attention, try once again to become a mediator, help to free political prisoners in Belarus,” Tikhanovskaya said of her message to the eventual U.S. election winner. “Please act faster, do not think of our relations with the giant neighboring state [Russia], please open your eyes: Belarus has the biggest social crises in Europe.”