Lithuania supports Belarusian people in their aspiration to fight for free life – Nauseda

  • 2022-08-10
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Mass protests that began in Belarus two years ago have irreversibly changed a large part of Belarusian society, and Lithuania supports their aspiration to fight for a free life, President Gitanas Nauseda has said.

“Two years ago, the Belarusian people decided to fight for a free life in a democratic country. Lithuania and its people firmly support this aspiration. The mass protests that began in 2020 have transformed a large part of Belarusian society, which has taken an irreversible path towards democratic values,” he wrote in a letter to the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and the participants of the Congress for the New Belarus that was held in Vilnius.

Nauseda also said he was pleased that Vilnius had become a place where Belarusian civil society had found a safe haven, according to a press release from the presidential office.

“Lithuanians are well aware of the price of democracy; they cherish their freedom and always support the struggle of other nations for the right to build a democratic society. The people of Lithuania and Belarus share a common history, which is why it is particularly important for Lithuania to support Belarusian democratic society,” he pointed out.

The Lithuanian president emphasized the right of the Belarusian people to hold new, free, and fair elections.

According to him, the entire European Union shares the view that all repression must come to an end, political prisoners must be released, and the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law must be respected.

Nauseda also stressed that Lithuania would continue to support the realization of these aspirations so that a democratic Belarus could find its rightful place in the European family.

Tuesday marked the second anniversary of democratic protests in Belarus.

On August 9, 2020, Belarus held a presidential election. Mass protests erupted in the country following the announcement that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has led the country since 1994, had won again.