A video message from Svyatlana Tsikhanovskaya’s appeared online after a long break. The candidate for presidency urged Belarusians to defend their rights and stop violence.
Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has recorded a new appeal to Belarusians.
Dear friends! Over the past few months we have done the impossible. Six months ago no one believed that the Belarusians could unite and say “No” to the old authorities. But it has happened. We came to the polling stations and made our choice — by law, peacefully and with dignity.
I want to say thank you to those people who were next to me: my team, the teams of Valery Tsapkala and Viktar Babaryka. I want to say thank you to every person, every voter who voted for me, for changes in our country. We, the supporters of change, are in the majority.
There is documentary evidence of this — copies of election protocols. Where the commissions counted the votes honestly, my support was 60 to 70%. And in Novaya Baravaya, it was 90%. The Belarusians will never want to live with the old authorities again. The majority does not believe in his victory. We have always said that our choice should be protected only by legal, non-violent means. And the authorities have turned the peaceful demonstration of citizens into a bloodbath. The situation is critical.
I’m looking at what’s been happening in our country in recent days with pain. For me and, I’m sure, for each of us, change adherents, human life is the most precious thing. We need to stop the violence in the streets of Belarusian cities. I urge the authorities to stop it and have a dialogue. I ask all mayors of the cities to act as organizers of peaceful mass gatherings in each city on August 15 and 16.
New peaceful rallies are appearing in the streets of our cities — “chains of solidarity” of women with flowers. They are absolutely not belligerent. They show the whole world that we, Belarusians, are open, honest people and we are against violence. I thank employees who refused to follow criminal orders against their citizens.
I want to thank those who were no longer afraid and went on strike. Thank you to the workers of the BMP, [Minsk] electro-technical plant, MAZ, IT-companies from the HTP and other teams who joined. Let’s defend our choice together. Sign for the fact that you voted for me, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The link will be under the video. Please do not stand aside. Our voices must be heard.
