Belarus' opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to address UNSC on September 4

Amid the ongoing protests in Belarus, the country’s opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will reportedly address the United Nations Security Council on September 4, Friday. Tsikhanouskaya’s spokesman reportedly said that she will speak by a video link at the invitation of Estonia, which is currently a non-permanent member of the body. No additional information regarding what the meeting is going to be about was revealed. 

As per reports, Tsikhanouskaya was a presidential candidate in the August 9 elections in Belarus which her supporters say she won. She fled to Lithuania immediately after the election which President Alexander Lukashenko declared he had won a by a wide margin, triggering unrest in parts of the country. 

READ: Huge Protest On Belarus Leader’s Birthday Demands He Resign

Lukashenko on August 10 secured a record sixth term as the country's president after the authorities announced the preliminary results in which the 65-year-old former Soviet Army member allegedly secured over 80 per cent of the total votes polled. Opposition leaders, including the main challenger Tikhanovskaya, denounced the result, calling it a rigged election.

READ: Belarus President Lukashenko Brings Teenage Son To Frontline As Protests Intensify

Tsikhanouskaya demand authorities to accept wrongdoing

Tsikhanouskaya fled the country for Lithuania on August 11, fearing that she or her family could be harmed. The 37-year-old leader has been issuing video statements from Lithuania, demanding Belarusian authorities to accept their wrongdoings and to join hands with the opposition in order to evade punishment in the future. The European Union and the United States have also expressed concerns over the recent developments in Belarus and have called on Lukashenko to respect the rights of the Belarusian people.

READ: Russia's Putin To Meet Belarusian Counterpart In Moscow In Coming Weeks

Meanwhile, the Belarusian leader, in the midst of the protests, cracked down hard on the news media on August 29. While the United Nations condemned the move, Lukashenko’s government not only deported some of the foreign journalists but also withdrew the accreditations of several others who were reporting on the anti-government protests prevailing in the nation. Several international media outlets reported about their journalists being deported from the country. 

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reportedly said that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has time and again called for the journalists to be able to do their job in an environment that is ‘free from harassment’.

(Image: AP)

READ: Belarus Revokes Accreditation, Deports Foreign Journalists Covering Protests

READ: Belarus President Lukashenko Brings Teenage Son To Frontline As Protests Intensify