The elections in Belarus were not free and fair, and tough actions are being taken against the demonstrators. This was announced on Wednesday, August 12, by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to the Czech Republic.
In an interview with Czech Television, he noted that the current situation in Belarus is a tragedy. A senior diplomat says he has a negative attitude towards the suppression of peaceful protests
“We (USA – ed.) Want freedom throughout Europe, we also want freedom for people in places like Belarus,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pompeo said he doubted the outcome of the elections in Belarus, and called for civil activists to ensure the right to freedom of expression.
On the same day, the authorities of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland discussed the need for a “strong European response” to the brutality in the suppression of protests in Belarus.
Earlier this week, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the EU is exploring the possibility of sanctions against those responsible for police violence in Belarus.
On August 9, presidential elections were held in Belarus. According to the CEC, the current 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, protesters took to the streets. The politician herself left the republic.
After the announcement of the preliminary results, unauthorized protests began in Minsk and other cities of Belarus, which resumed in the evening on August 10 and 11. Both civilians and security forces suffered, one person died. Thousands of protesters were detained.