Leading Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has urged the European Union to be “more brave” in its response to Alexander Lukashenko’s refusal to relax his grip on power.
Plans to impose sanctions have been delayed, undermining efforts to take a firm stand over last month’s allegedly rigged election and the human rights abuses that have followed.
Tsikhanouskaya’s comments came as she took questions from reporters in Brussels on Monday morning.
She urged EU foreign ministers to “be more brave” at their scheduled meeting and break the deadlock over imposing long-promised sanctions.
The opposition leader, who left Belarus for Lithuania after the disputed election on August 9, said the sanctions were “very important in our fight” against Lukashenko’s regime.
“They force the so-called authorities to start a dialogue with us,” she added. “We really need this call from the EU. Because this is the main goal… of our fight at the moment.”
The EU has drawn up a list of around 40 people it could hit with asset freezes and travel bans in response to irregularities that gave Lukashenko a sixth term.