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Crisis in Belarus

Northern Europe, Baltic States call on Minsk to launch dialogue with opposition

The Latvian Foreign Ministry noted that the appeal was signed by top diplomats of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden

RIGA, August 11. /TASS/. Foreign ministers of five Northern European countries and three Baltic States have urged Belarusian authorities to stop persecuting political opponents, immediately release all detainees and launch an open dialogue with opposition, the eight ministers said in a joint statement issued Tuesday.

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The Latvian Foreign Ministry noted that the appeal was signed by top diplomats of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. "We urge the Belarusian authorities to stop persecution of political opponents, to release all those unfairly detained immediately and to respect human rights and freedoms. We call upon the Belarusian government to immediately engage in a genuine political dialogue with the opposition in order to avoid further use of violence," the statement reads.

The foreign ministers also expressed concern about the violence that gripped the country amid nationwide protests sparked by reports of electoral fraud and rigging. "We are very troubled by the reports of physical injuries inflicted on the demonstrators," the top diplomats specified.

"The presidential elections, which took place in Belarus on 9th August 2020, did not comply with the international commitments of Belarus and globally recognized standards of democracy and rule of law, and they were not free and fair," they added. "We remain committed to the people of Belarus and will continue to closely follow developments."

On August 9, Belarus held its presidential election. Preliminary results show incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko securing his reelection with 80.08% of the votes, while his biggest rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya received 10.09% of the ballots cast. The other three candidates failed to get more than two percent each. After exit poll results were revealed late on August 9, many cities and towns across the country saw mass protests that in some cases turned into clashes with the police. The national Interior Ministry said 3,000 had been detained while dozens of police officers and protesters had been injured. Moreover, law enforcement officers apprehended a few reporters. Tikhanovskaya challenged the results, refused to recognize them and said that she believes herself to be the elected president. She also filed a complaint with the national election commission.

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