The General Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus has sent an official request to Lithuania to extradite opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, TASS reports.
The department noted that they are forced to ask Vilnius to extradite the politician due to the fact that she committed “crimes against the order of government, public safety and the state” at home.
On December 21, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case against Tikhanovskaya and other oppositionists on the creation of an extremist group. Prior to that, proceedings were instituted on the fact of the activities of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition. The former presidential candidate herself denies all charges.
On March 2, the Lithuanian authorities refused to extradite the politician in advance and announced that they would never extradite people persecuted in their homeland for opposition activities. “Minsk knows this very well,” the statement of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Protests demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko have been continuing for more than six months in Belarus. Actions of those who disagree with the election results are harshly suppressed by law enforcement agencies. Tens of thousands of people were detained, many spoke of torture and beating in isolation wards. Four people died in clashes with security forces.