Belarus releases 2,000 protestors but denies abuse

Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has urged her supporters to launch further protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. /AP

Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called for new protests and an election recount, piling pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko.

In a video posted on YouTube from self-imposed exile in Lithuania, Tikhanovskaya asked supporters to demand an official investigation into allegations that Lukashenko had rigged last Sunday's presidential election.

At least two protesters were killed and thousands detained in a violent crackdown this week, prompting the European Union to consider new sanctions on Belarus, which is seen by Russia as a strategic buffer against NATO and the EU.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a sixth consecutive day, demanding that Lukashenko step down, joined by workers at some of the state-owned industrial plants that are the center of his Soviet-style economic model.

In a rare climbdown, the government apologized for the use of force as it freed more than 2,000 protesters from detention.

Several bore heavy bruises and complained of beatings, cramped conditions and starvation rations inside the cells. The government denied abusing detainees.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power for 26 years but now faces the biggest test of his tenure. /AFP

In her tweet, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says additional sanctions needed against the current Belarus government.

Lukashenko, a 65-year-old former Soviet collective farm manager, has faced increasing anger over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic – which he dismissed as a "psychosis" – as well as a sluggish economy and civil rights.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says she 'supports the rights of the people of Belarus to fundamental freedoms and democracy.' /AP

Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher, emerged from obscurity a few weeks ago to take her husband's place in the election campaign after he was jailed and has now led some of the biggest protests against Lukashenko since he came to power 26 years ago.

Shortly after the election she fled to Lithuania, saying it was for the sake of her children.

Lukashenko has alleged a foreign-backed plot to destabilize Belarus and dismissed the demonstrators as criminals and people without work.

Source: Reuters