Released after 5 years in solitary confinement, Sergei Tsikhanouski – husband of opposition leader Svetlana Tsihanouskaya – urges the West to maintain pressure on Minsk and outlines possible scenarios for change in Belarus – from internal collapse to changes in Russia.
Pavel Matsukevich says Aleksandr Lukashenko has released some opponents because he knows he can throw them in jail any time, not because he got a deal with the West.
July 20 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Alexander Lukashenko's regime. Four years ago, his political stability in Belarus was seriously undermined by mass protests: democratic Belarusians at the time called for new elections and supported Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The break-up of demonstrations was followed by a brutal repression that forced many of them to leave the country, including the leader of the democratic forces. Veridica spoke to Tsikhanouskaya about the current state of the opposition, the release of political prisoners and what we can expect from the presidential election slated for next year in Belarus.