Belarus Opposition Leader Calls on EU to be 'Stronger & Braver'

The main opposition leader of Belarus Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is in Brussels today to discuss the recent Belarusian election and five weeks of protests on the streets of Minsk since then, urged the European Union to approve sanctions on officials accused of rigging the presidential election last month, FRANCE 24's International Affairs editor Nadia Massih explains.

European foreign ministers welcomed the Belarusian opposition leader to Brussels as they prepare EU sanctions to support her battle against the Minsk regime.

“She gave us an account of the events in Belarus,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters, after a meeting with Tikhanovskaya and the ministers.

“Let me stress that we will support an inclusive national dialogue on the rights of the Belarusian people to free and fair elections,” he said, reiterating that Brussels does not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus.

“We have to conclude that nothing has improved in the last weeks. The violence Lukashenko has used against peaceful demonstrators is totally unacceptable,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

“We must also address the question of whether Mr Lukashenko, who is the main responsible, should not also be sanctioned by the European Union,” he said.

Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania for her own safety after the election.

By Ana Dumbadze 

Source: FRANCE24 

Image: Tatyana Zenkovich / EPA / TASS