The most likely Democratic candidate for the 2020 US presidential election, Joseph Biden, spoke out in support of protesters in Belarus. He published his statement of attitude to what is happening on the Medium website on Monday, August 10.
Biden said he supports those who call for accurate and transparent vote counting and the release of all political prisoners.
In addition, Biden appealed to President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, urging him to respect the rights of participants in peaceful protests and refrain from using violence against the citizens of the country.
The politician also expressed the opinion that during the presidential elections held on August 9 in Belarus, falsifications took place.
“My administration will never shy away from defending democratic principles and human rights, and we will work with our democratic allies and partners to speak with a united front and demand these rights,” Biden concluded in the address.
On August 9, presidential elections were held in the republic. According to the CEC, the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won 80.08% of the vote, and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya – 10.09%.
Tikhanovskaya’s headquarters refused to recognize the official data of the country’s Central Election Commission, noting that headquarters data from polling stations in all regions of the republic show her results in 70-80%, while Tikhanovskaya herself believes that she won the elections.
After the announcement of the preliminary results, unauthorized protest actions began in Minsk and other cities of Belarus. The protesters erected barricades from garbage cans. Police fired tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades against them, and pushed protesters out of the city center.
The shares continued on the evening of August 10 and Tuesday night. During the clashes in the area of Pushkin Square, a person died. The security forces managed to disperse the protesters, and by the middle of the night the protests had stopped.