Credit: Wikipedia /  Belarus Opposition challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya 

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS –  NEW  YORK  –  Belarusian opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the United Nations to impose sanctions on individuals in the Belarus government of President  Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko  amid the recent elections she contends were fraudulent.  Longtime President Lukashenko won 80.23% of the vote, with rival challenger  Tikhanovskaya receiving 9.9%.  of ballots in the August 8 elections.  Tikhanovskaya  fled the country in the aftermath of the disputed presidential elections.  Tikhanovskaya  is in exile in Lithuania where she continues to speak out against the election results. Tikhanovskaya  addressed the UN Security Council Friday via video link at the invitation of Estonia on Friday, urging international sanctions and the for UN  to send an observation mission to Belarus. 

“We ask the United Nations to condemn the use of excessive force by the Belarusian security services against protesters. We suggest a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to discuss the human rights situation in Belarus. We urge the United Nations to send an immediate international monitoring mission to Belarus to document the situation on the ground,”

-Tikhanovskaya said. 

“We don’t recognize the results of the election. We have seen the real ballot results. We call on those who believe that their vote has been stolen not to keep silent.”

Critics  immediately denounced Lukashenko’s landslide victory as being rigged and mass protests erupted with thousands taking to the streets of capital city Minsk and across the country to vent frustration.   Nearly 7,000 protesters have been arrested amid post-election crackdown by Belarus officials. Protesters reported being beaten and tortured. 

UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Violence against Protesters

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, condemned the authorities’ violent response: “I remind the Belarusian authorities that the use of force during protests should always be exceptional and a measure of last resort” she said, “clearly differentiating between any violent individuals and peaceful protesters, against whom force should not be used.”

European Union Preparing New Sanctions against Belarusian Officials

Credit:  europe-diplomatic.eu/  Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, President of Belarus

The European Union is preparing to impose new sanctions against Belarusian officials following the brutal post-election crackdown on demonstrators.  EU foreign ministers from the bloc’s 27 states held an emergency video meeting August 14   to review former restrictions against Belarus’ leadership that the EU removed in 2016, citing progress in improving the rule of law. The sanctions had targeted arms companies, frozen assets and implemented travel bans.