Belarus Opp leader asked Norway to join new EU sanctions

MINSK (RIA Novosti): Former presidential candidate of Belarus, leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya phoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, asked Oslo to join the new EU sanctions against Minsk and pay particular attention to restrictions on the potash industry, the press service of the politician said on Wednesday.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya made a call with Norwe-gian Foreign Minister Ina Marie Erikson Sereide. Du-ring the call, Tikhano-vskaya called on Norway to join the 4th package of EU sanctions and sectoral sanctions,” the press service said on Tikhanovskaya’s Telegram channel.
At the same time, it is emphasized that “special attention is paid to such areas as potash fertilizers.”
According to the report, Tikhanovskaya proposed Norway, together with Ire-land and Estonia, to organize hearings in the UN Se-curity Council on Belarus and discuss the creation of an international tribunal, and also called for incre-ased assistance to civil so-ciety, Belarusian media and families of prisoners recognized by Belarusian human rights defenders as political.
After the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9, 2020, in which Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time, who, according to the CEC, gained 80.1% of the vote, massive opposition protests began in the country, to suppress which the security forces, among other things, used special means and special equipment. On February 11, the KGB of Belarus announced that the situation in the country had stabilized, the peak of the protests had passed, their manifestations had practically disappeared.
The opposition considers Tikhanovskaya to be the winner of the elections, initiates the expansion of international sanctions against official Minsk and the holding of new elections. In Belarus, criminal cases have been initiated against a number of opposition leaders, including calls for the seizure of power, the creation of an extremist group, a conspiracy to seize state power by unconstitutional means, and an attempted terrorist attack. Tikhanovskaya, who has left for Lithuania, who is also a defendant in criminal cases, is included in the list of persons involved in terrorist activities; Minsk is seeking her extradition.
The Belarusian authorities have repeatedly stated that protests in the country are being coordinated from abroad. Lukashenka accused the West of direct interference in the situation in the republic, noted that the unrest is directed by the US, and the Europeans “play along” with it. Relations between Belarus and Western countries after the elections deteriorated sharply, the EU, Great Britain, the USA, Canada and a number of other countries gradually introduced sanctions against Belarusian officials.