Exiled rival accuses Lukashenko of playing 'game' with prisoners before Belarus election

Record ID: 1905824

  • Title: Exiled rival accuses Lukashenko of playing 'game' with prisoners before Belarus election
  • Date: 21st January 2025
  • Summary: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 20, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA (RIGHT) DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: “What in democratic world you call elections has nothing in common with this “event” in Belarus. Because it is mostly like ritual for dictators when they are reappointing themselves. In Belarus people call it “special electoral operation.” INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: “You know, (Belarus President Alexander) Lukashenko knows that the Belarussian people haven’t given up in our fight for freedom. And despite all the repressions that continue four years already, the people continue to fight. Those who are in exile, and those who are in the country.” PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES OF TSIKHANOUSKAYA DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "Lukashenko needs (to stage a) show. He needs to how to the world, look, how many people came to these so called "elections." And people will be made to come to the polling stations. And of course, nobody is going to count the votes and show what is happening in reality in polling stations. But people need to do some act. So we ask the to put this tick (in box) "Against everybody in this ballot (papers). And that is it. The only intrigue about these so called "elections" is how much Lukashenko will draw in the final ballot." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "So, first of all I want to remind to the world that since 2020 at least 60,000 people went through repressions, went through prison in Belarus. A half of a million left the country because of the brutality of the regime. Till now more than 1,400 people stay behind the bars. Many of these people for more than two years are held incommunicado, including my husband." VARIOUS OF TSIKHANOUSKAYA HOLDING PICTURE OF HER HUSBAND SYARHEI TSIKHANOUSKI (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "Before the so called "elections" he releases people sending not clear signal to the democratic world, look, may be it is my step forward or may be not, because it is not a change of policy. It is like testing democracy. Look, I release 20 people. Is it enough for you? Are you ready to lift sanctions? Are you ready to recognize me? No? Okay, 20 more! But we have to underline here that while releasing, for example, 20 people, for the same period of time, three times more are getting detained." PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "I do not want those people who left the country to live in this exiled bubble and lose connection with the people in Belarus. So, of course, we are trying to support those small communities, the activists, cyber-partisans, partisans in Belarus who continue to fight. It is very difficult to do, but we are looking for possibilities to do this. I personally have a lot of communication with the personalities on the ground. We actually have a lot of informants from Belarus, including also those who are in(side) the regime." PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURES (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "While Lukashenko is in the position he is in now, he seized power, unleashed the most brutal terror the country has seen for years, he is not ready to change the country. He will remain a puppet of (the Russian President Vladimir) Putin. He will continue to sell our country to Russia just to stay in power. So that is why our task now is to weaken this regime as much as possible." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "I am totally sure that the changes will come to Belarus. I do not know, when. So many factors are now influencing the situation in our country. It is the war in Ukraine. It is eagerness of Russia to suppress our nation, our country. But I truly believe that the democratic world that is on the side of the people of Belarus can bring changes in our country. Our fight is not just only for Belarus. It is a fight against dictatorship, because the dictators threaten the democracy as it is." TSIKHANOUSKAYA DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "But I believe that the democracy has teeth, and has a possibility and strength to fight dictators. Nobody has to do our job instead of us. It is due to our people to retain our country back. But no one can wage a war an no one3 can fight if you are alone. We need allies in this fight. CLOSE UP OF TSIKHANOUSKAYA (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "At the moment of these peace negotiations, Ukraine must be as strong as possible. I think that the democratic world should give the Ukrainians everything they need to have the strong positions. Ukraine and Belarus, our fates are intertwined. We are fighting the same evil. The fate of Belarus, of course, depends a lot. That is why we are talking to our democratic partners that in the moment of negotiations - because for sure they will be the mediators around this table - the Belarusian issue should be included into these negotiations. And there should be a demand of the withdrawal of the Russian troops not only from Ukraine, but also from Belarus, including nuclear weapons. Russia should conduct the policy of non-interference into the internal issues of Belarus." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXILED BELARUS OPPOSITION LEADER, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, SAYING: "Belarusian people are now afraid that Belarus might be given as a consolations prize to Putin. That at the moment of negotiation we might save Ukraine on some terms but Belarus will stay in the status quo and it will postpone changes in Belarus for many, many years." DAVOS, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 20, 2025) (REUTERS) POSTER READING (IN ENGLISH): "WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. ANNUAL MEETING. DAVOS 2025." PEOPLE BEHIND BARRIERS AND RESTRICTIVE LINE IN FRONT OF DAVOS MEETING VENUE PEOPLE AND FLAGS NEXT TO DAVOS MEETING VENUE
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2025 12:02
  • Keywords: Belarus Lukashenko Tsikhanouskaya election opposition politics president
  • Location: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND
  • City: DAVOS, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA001480720012025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of playing games with the West by drip-feeding releases of political prisoners ahead of an election on Sunday in which he is set to extend his 31-year rule.
    In an interview with Reuters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tsikhanouskaya condemned the election as a sham, citing the jailing of opponents and the absence of free media.
    "What in the democratic world you call elections has nothing in common with this event in Belarus. Because it's mostly like a ritual for dictators, when they are reappointing themselves," she said.
    Last weekend Lukashenko pardoned the latest batch of 23 people convicted of "extremist" activity in what state media called a humanitarian gesture, bringing the number of such releases to 250 since last July.
    Tsikhanouskaya said he was playing his "usual game before so-called elections" of freeing political prisoners in the hope of winning concessions from the West. She said the releases, while welcome, did not represent any easing of repression because more people were being arrested all the time.
    "It’s not a change of policy, it’s like testing democracy. 'Look, I release 20 people, is it enough for you? Are you ready, you know, to lift sanctions? Are you ready to recognize me? No? OK, 20 more,'" she said.
    There should be no bargaining with Lukashenko while he continued to hold prisoners - including her husband Siarhei - as "hostages," Tsikhanouskaya said.
    "We need to stop repressions, we need to release all prisoners and maybe then we will talk to you," she added.
    Human rights group Viasna says there are some 1,250 political prisoners in Belarus. Lukashenko says there are none. In charge of the country since 1994, he denies rigging elections and says it is the Belarusian people who have entrusted him with power.
    Tsikhanouskaya ran against Lukashenko in the last election in 2020 and, together with Western governments, accused him of stealing victory from her by resorting to massive vote-rigging.
    Tens of thousands of people were arrested in the following months as Lukashenko ordered his security apparatus to crack down on mass protests. The European Union said Lukashenko lacked "any democratic legitimacy."
    Tsikhanouskaya said the exiled opposition was counting on further support from what she called the "democratic world" in its efforts to weaken Lukashenko and bring change to the country.
    "Our fight is not just only for Belarus, it's a fight against dictatorship," she said. "We need allies in this fight."
    She said that any forthcoming peace talks on Ukraine should also address the future of Belarus, which under Lukashenko has been a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and allowed him to attack Ukraine from its territory.
    Belarus has historically been dominated by Russia and the longstanding fear of many Belarusians is that they risk losing their national identity and being swallowed up entirely by their much larger eastern neighbor.
    Tsikhanouskaya said a goal of the talks, if they happen, should be the withdrawal of Russian troops not only from Ukraine but also from Belarus, including nuclear weapons.
    "You know, what the Belarusian people are afraid of now is that Belarus might be given as a consolation prize to Putin," she said.
    "That at the moment of negotiation we might save Ukraine on some terms but Belarus will stay in the status quo and it will postpone changes in Belarus for many, many years."
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