December 2, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime is forced to make concessions amid the uncertainty surrounding Ukraine, which may benefit Belarus’ opposition, its leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja told the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in Oslo yesterday.
The pro-democracy forces must take full advantage of this by making the ongoing pressure on the regime more effective, she noted. Łukašenka is releasing jailed regime critics in an attempt to break his isolation, she added, referring to the releases of dissidents negotiated with the help of Washington.
However, politically-motivated reprisals continue unabated in Belarus, with the arrests taking place simultaneously with releases, the politician said.
Cichanoŭskaja’s visit to Norway also included meetings with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, Minister of International Development Åsmund Grøver Aukrust and Masud Gharahkhani, parliamentary speaker.
