Companion for presidential candidates in Belarus, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya Maria Kolesnikova said that the country’s authorities need to hear the will of the people, RIA Novosti reports.
She urged “not to drown people’s will in the water, not to deafen with grenades, not to mutilate with bullets, not to deafen with clubs.”
Kolesnikova also stressed that the protests are not controlled by puppeteers, but by the inhabitants of Belarus themselves. According to her, ordinary citizens took to the streets, “who want change.”
“These people will not disappear anywhere. They will no longer be able to forget about what is happening. They will not be able to live as they used to. You cannot erase their memory, they cannot be forced to obey, they cannot be intimidated or appeased. They need change, ”said Kolesnikova.
She added that it is now important to focus on volunteer assistance to victims.
On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus. According to the latest data from the Central Election Commission, the incumbent head of state Alexander Lukashenko won 80.08% of the vote, opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was supported by 10.09% of voters. Tikhanovskaya’s headquarters did not recognize the results of the vote.
After the announcement of the preliminary results, unauthorized protests began in Minsk and other cities of Belarus, which have been going on for several days. Both civilians and security forces suffered, one person died. There were also detentions of journalists, including those from Russia.