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August 11, 2020

Belarus in Turmoil as Lukashenko Cracks Down on Protests, Opposition Candidate Flees to Lithuania
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Belarus remains in political turmoil as protests continued for a second
day, leaving one person dead, after incumbent President Alexander
Lukashenko was declared the winner of Sunday's election with 80% of the
vote. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, his main challenger, fled to neighboring
Lithuania after she refused to concede. At a press briefing before she
left, she condemned the brutal police crackdown on protesters, who were
met with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya: "People went out peacefully to defend their
voices. Yesterday they made their choice. People had a celebration. And
to start suppressing people with harsh methods, literally, in a couple
of hours, it is a crime."

Meanwhile, Lukashenko's government is ramping up its attack on
journalists, assaulting and arresting multiple reporters during the
demonstrations. Another person currently behind bars is Vitali
Shkliarov, a former campaign staffer for Bernie Sanders and Barack
Obama. He is married to an American and had been helping on the campaign
of Svetlana's husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, who had planned to run for
president before he was arrested in May.


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