Germany calls Lukashenko 'dictator', warns Russia against military interference

Germany’s vice-chancellor Olaf Scholz described Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko as a dictator after thousands of people gathered at the centre of the capital Minsk protesting against the authoritarian leader. Minsk witnessed the biggest protest against Lukashenko whom the opponents have accused of rigging the elections in his favour.

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya rejected election results and demanded Lukashenko hand over the power. However, Lukashenko dismissed the concerns of protesters, calling them “sheep" controlled from abroad. He claimed that the protesters received calls from Poland, Britain and the Czech Republic and were acting on their direction. He also tried to justify the violent crackdown on protesters, saying he will not Belarus to be “torn apart”.

The crackdown on protesters and opponents forced Tikhanovskaya to flee the country and reunited with her children in Lithuania, whom she had moved earlier after receiving threats. In an emotional video, Tsikhanouskaya said that the political turmoil in Belarus was not worth anyone losing their life, calling it a “very difficult decision” to leave the country. 

“But, probably, I’m still the weak woman I was in the first place. I have made a very difficult decision for myself...Children are the main thing in life,” said Tikhanouskaya.

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Warns against Russian interference

Scholz, also Germany’s Finance Minister, told a news website in a live interview that “dictator” Lukashenko has lost the support of his people. He said that he is “firmly convinced” that the Belarus President no longer has any legitimacy, otherwise he would not rule with such “unbelievable and brutal force”.

“This is a bad dictator and therefore he needs clear statements and clear language,” Scholz told the Bild.

Lukashenko had also boasted about the support from Moscow and said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will help him with the security if needed. Scholz warned Moscow against military interference in Belarus, saying it is “not acceptable at all and breaks all the rules we have set ourselves under international law.”

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