The leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has nothing to do with the plans to organize riots and seize buildings. The former candidate for the presidency of Belarus was not involved in the charges brought against her associates, her press service announced, RIA Novosti reports.
Representatives of Tikhanovskaya stressed that during the election campaign and the protests that swept the republic after the elections, the opposition leader managed to communicate with a large number of citizens, among whom there are supporters of radical measures, but she herself has never been involved in the development of such plans.
The press service also drew attention to the video presented by the Investigative Committee (IC) of Belarus, which captured the meeting held on August 5. Tikhanovskaya’s supporters emphasized that she “left the room in order not to continue the discussion.” They added that the nature of the protests in the republic is clearly demonstrated by the fact that Tikhanovskaya and her team recognize exclusively peaceful methods.
Earlier, the Investigative Committee of Belarus accused four of Tikhanovskaya’s proxies of hatching plans to seize Gomel. According to the ministry, in order to implement the plan, the opposition leader’s associates were looking for applicants among the military personnel, employees of the internal affairs bodies and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. It is alleged that plans to seize Gomel’s administrative buildings were discussed at a meeting on August 5, 2020, which was attended by Tikhanovskaya. Confirming this information, the department published a video from the meeting.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is the wife of the popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who is under arrest. In the presidential elections on August 9, she received 10 percent of the vote, and Alexander Lukashenko, who ran for a sixth term, received 80 percent. The official results sparked massive protests across Belarus that continue to this day. Tikhanovskaya herself left for Lithuania.