UK Foreign Secy Raab continues to express support for Belarusian Opposition

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has once again voiced support for the Belarusian opposition, in a call with former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

"The UK stands with the Belarusian people & calls on Lukashenko's regime to end its repression of those supporting change. I made clear, in a call with Svetlana @Tsihanouskaya today, my backing for those peacefully working towards a democratic Belarus," Raab said on Twitter on Monday.

Belarus has seen regular opposition protests following the presidential election on August 9, 2020, that saw President Alexander Lukashenko reelected for a sixth term. While electoral authorities maintain that Lukashenko collected over 80 percent of the vote, the opposition insists that his key contender, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won the election.

In January, Tikhanovskaya said that the opposition movement had become less active in Belarus but the protests were expected to regain their momentum this spring.

This past weekend, over 160 people were detained during unauthorized anti-government protests held across Belarus, mainly in the capital Minsk, according to the unregistered Viasna human rights center.

Viasna claims that more than 40 people were convicted in Belarus in January in connection with their participation in protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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