Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says that the January presidential polls in Minsk cannot be called an election at all. It will be just another ritual of the country’s ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, according to her.
Alexander Lukashenko
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Lithuania refers the situation in Belarus to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the crimes against humanity committed by the authoritarian regime of Lukashenko, the Ministry of Justice has announced.
Six out of ten Lithuanian residents agree that regulations should be tightened for Belarusian citizens arriving to Lithuania, shows a poll commissioned by the public broadcaster LRT that was carrier out by the pollster Baltijos tyrimai.
Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė says her ministry has already drafted amendments to the law on foreigners’ legal status to enable a mechanism for issuing a foreigner’s passport to opponents of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime only.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is critical of the idea of Poland and the Baltic States of possible closure of borders with Belarus. She says open borders are vital in order for Belarusians to flee from the Alexander Lukashenko regime.
Restrictions on Belarusian citizens arriving to Lithuania may be tightened if agencies responsible for national security see a need for this, says MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP).
On Wednesday evening, the third anniversary of rigged Belarusian presidential elections and subsequent protests was marked in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius. Activists took part in a march against war, military aggression and repressions in Russia and Belarus.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has reassured people that Lithuania’s intelligence services are closely following the developments related to Wagner private military company’s arrival to Belarus and Lithuania is appropriately prepared for any situation.
On Wednesday in Vilnius, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda met with President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs. The heads of state discussed the security situation in the region among other matters.
Deputy Justice Minister Gabija Grigaitė-Daugirdė has welcomed the recent decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office to open a pre-trial investigation into alleged transfers of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
The Lithuanian parliament voted on Thursday to award the annual Freedom Prize to Belarus' democratic opposition.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called on the Lithuanian government to consider sanctions against Belaruskali if the Belarusian state-owned fertilizer producer continues to persecute its employees for protesting against Alexander Lukashenko's regime.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have on Friday agreed to expand the existing sanctions for the Belarusian regime's officials and blacklisted the country's information and sports ministers and police officers.
A third package of EU sanctions against the Minsk regime is inevitable, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda's chief foreign policy advisor has said.
The Belarusian government confirmed on Thursday night it had introduced restrictions for arrivals from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine through land border crossing points.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has raised the issue of relocating the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, scheduled to be co-hosted by Minsk, to step up pressure on Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, her spokeswoman confirmed to BNS on Saturday.
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has decided to recall some of its diplomats from Minsk, although not as many as demanded by Belarus’ authorities.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Friday it is recalling the country's ambassadors to Lithuania and Poland for consultations.
With the European Union’s (EU) leaders having agreed on sanctions against the Belarusian regime, a similar move may now be expected from the United States, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has said.
French President Emmanuel Macron promised help in the pursuit of negotiations over the resolution of the political crisis in Belarus and the release of political prisoners during his meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius on Tuesday.
