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

Record ID: 1631351

  • Title: Belarusian diaspora, opposition leader rally in Vilnius one year after disputed vote
  • Date: 9th August 2021
  • Summary: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (AUGUST 9, 2021) (REUTERS) RALLY IN SUPPORT OF BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION ONE YEAR AFTER DISPUTED ELECTION PEOPLE SHOWING VICTORY SIGN, CHANTING (Belarusian): "LONG LIVE BELARUS"
  • 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: LVA001EPK6O8P
  • 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
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