‘Stress works’: Belarus opposition chief Tikhanovskaya reacts to launch of political prisoners

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled Belarus opposition chief, spoke to FRANCE 24 concerning the launch from jail of fellow protest chief Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski together with 121 different political prisoners. “Let’s not neglect that at the very least 1,200 political prisoners are nonetheless behind bars, persons are nonetheless being arrested each day, households are nonetheless being terrorised and repression hasn’t stopped. So, there’s nonetheless quite a lot of work forward of us,” mentioned the previous presidential candidate who stood towards Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Requested about US strikes to carry sanctions on Minsk in return for the prisoners’ launch, Tikhanovskaya thanked the Trump administration for its function in brokering the deal, whereas calling for additional strain on the Belarus authorities. She added: “Lukashenko launched these folks not as a result of he grew to become humane, however as a result of he feels the strain and he desires sanctions lifted.”