Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya urges UN Security Council to send observation mission to Belarus

During a remote address to the UN Security Council on Friday, September 4, Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya (Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya) asked the United Nations to send an international observation mission to Belarus. 

“We ask the United Nations to condemn the use of excessive force by the Belarusian security services against protesters. We suggest a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to discuss the human rights situation in Belarus. We urge the United Nations to send an immediate international monitoring mission to Belarus to document the situation on the ground,” Tikhanovskaya said. 

Tikhanovskaya also called for sanctions against those responsible for rigging the presidential elections and those who committed “crimes against humanity” while dispersing opposition protests.

Tikhanovskaya’s planned address to the UN Security Council was announced on August 31. She was invited to an informal meeting of the Security Council by Estonia. Tikhanovskaya previously addressed the European Parliament and has met with the leaders of several European countries. 

During the recent presidential elections in Belarus, which ended on August 9, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko’s main rival. According to election officials, however, he won 80 percent of the vote and she came in second place with just 10 percent.

Independent observers and the media reported widespread electoral violations and fraud during the vote. Protests sparked after the elections, with opposition demonstrators demanding Lukashenko step down. His opponents believe that Tikhanovskaya actually won the election.