Belarusian diaspora, opposition leader rally in Vilnius one year after disputed vote

Record ID: 1631349

  • Title: Belarusian diaspora, opposition leader rally in Vilnius one year after disputed vote
  • Date: 9th August 2021
  • Summary: PEOPLE WRAPPED IN WHITE-RED-WHITE FLAGS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "A year ago, my choice to stay in Belarus was taken away. But just like all of you, I'm choosing to return there." PEOPLE APPLAUDING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS LITHUANIAN PRIME MINISTER, INGRIDA SIMONYTE, AND TSIKHANOUSKAYA STANDING SIMONYTE, TSIKHANOUSKAYA AND OTHER OFFICIALS POSING FOR PHOTO (SOUNDBITE) (English) LITHUANIAN PRIME MINISTER, INGRIDA SIMONYTE, SAYING: "I would say that it was extremely complicated year, but one thing is sure that Belarus as a topic has come back to global political debate, and I think this is very important." RALLY IN PROGRESS GIRL HOLDING LITHUANIAN AND WHITE-RED-WHITE FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MEMBER OF BELARUSIAN DIASPORA IN LITHUANIA, MATVEY TOKMAKOV, SAYING: "I'm a Belarusian and to be able to live back at home we have to end this story, end with Lukashenko and return back. This is why I'm here." (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MEMBER OF BELARUSIAN DIASPORA IN LITHUANIA, ANASTASIA MILOVANOVA, SAYING: "I'm here today because it's the anniversary of a great day when the Belarusian nation got united, people finally noticed each other and realised how many of us were there. It happened for the first time in 26 years." RALLY IN PROGRESS PEOPLE LISTENING PEOPLE WRAPPED IN WHITE-RED-WHITE FLAGS
  • Embargoed: 23rd August 2021 17:58
  • Keywords: Belarus Belarus diaspora Belarus opposition Lithuania Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya disputed presidential election election 2020
  • Location: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
  • City: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
  • Country: Belarus
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA003EPK6O8P
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Members of the Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania and Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya rallied on Monday (August 9) evening in Vilnius in support of the anti-government movement, one year after the disputed presidential election.
    About 200 people, mostly Belarus citizens who fled the country and now live in Lithuania, gathered wrapped in white-red-white flags, carrying banners and chanting "Long live Belarus".
    Tsikhanouskaya addressed the crowd of protesters, saying her choice to stay in Belarus was "taken away".
    Tsikhanouskaya says she won a 2020 presidential election but President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, said he won. She fled to Lithuania after a crackdown on protesters that followed the contested election.
    The opposition in Belarus rejected official election results handing Lukashenko a landslide re-election victory, saying the poll was rigged and that talks were needed to begin on a peaceful transfer of power.
    The following violent crackdown on the opposition triggered international sanctions and cooling of Belarus' relations with the west.
    Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, who also attended the rally, told Reuters it was important that Belarus came back to international political attention during the "extremely complicated" year for Belarus.
    (Production: Janis Laizans, Karolina Bohacova)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register