Pavel Latushko, a member of the Belarusian opposition-led Coordination Council's chairmanship, said on Saturday that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had "unexpected instruments" to step up the engagement in the settlement of the political crisis in Belarus
MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th September, 2020) Pavel Latushko, a member of the Belarusian opposition-led Coordination Council's chairmanship, said on Saturday that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had "unexpected instruments" to step up the engagement in the settlement of the political crisis in Belarus.
"The OSCE will be playing a more active role in solving the Belarusian crisis. There are unexpected instruments," Latushko said on his Telegram channel following the meeting with OSCE Chairman Edi Rama.
Belarusian opposition initiated mass protests nationwide after a presidential election on August 9 saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko reelected for a sixth term. While according to the electoral authorities he collected over 80 percent of the vote, the opposition has insisted that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an opposition candidate, won the election.
Police cracked down on protesters during the first several days of the unrest, but have since halted the excessive use of force. More than 6,700 people were detained during the initial phase of the protest. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, three people died and several hundred others sustained injuries during that period, including more than 130 security officers.
The Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition was established on August 14 with the goal to carry out a peaceful transition of power.
The Belarusian authorities, convinced that the council pursues an unconstitutional grab of power and threatens national security, launched persecution of the Coordination Council board of chairmen. As of Saturday, all but one members were either arrested or fled Belarus.
Earlier this week, Lukashenko said that he was constantly pushed to engage in talks with the OSCE. He also accused Western states of direct interference in Belarus' sovereign affairs, pointing, specifically, at the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine as the four countries continuously instigating the protests in Belarus.
