UNITED NATIONS, August 14. /TASS/. It is better to minimize comparisons between the current crisis in Belarus and Ukraine’s Euromaidan because Belarusians want to avoid foreign interference and a civil war, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation with human rights in Belarus Anais Marin said in an interview with TASS Friday.

"Now it is important to minimize as much as possible parallels with Ukraine and Maidan. The Belarusian path could be unique, scenarios could be totally different, because everything that is happening now is between the Belarusians themselves and their president, without foreign interference," she noted.

Marin expressed an opinion that the Belarusian civic society itself wants to "avoid a civil war scenario and interference from neighboring countries." "I hope that there are people in power now who want to avert a bloody outcome and find a way to reconciliation, whether in the form of conference or new elections," the special rapporteur added.

In light of this, according to Marin, "international [settlement] initiatives should be spearheaded by the UN or the OSCE." "Interference from countries that have political interests in Belarus might further complicate the situation in the country that wants to be in good relations with its neighbors," she underlined. The expert also described the changes that are taking place in Belarus now as irreversible. "They are now writing a new page of their history," she concluded.

On August 9, Belarus held the presidential election. Earlier on Friday, the national Central Election Commission declared the official results, showing incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko securing his reelection with 80.1% of the votes. His key rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya came second with 10.12%. After exit poll results were revealed when voting was closed, 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 a few thousand people had been detained since Sunday, while dozens of police officers and protesters were injured.

Tikhanovskaya’s campaign staff rejected the election results and does not recognize Lukashenko’s victory. Tikhanovskaya herself fled the country late on Monday and is now in Lithuania, latest reports suggest.