OSCE Says Yet To Receive Request To Assist Tikhanovskaya In Safely Returning To Belarus

VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2021) The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) told Sputnik on Wednesday that it did not receive any request for assistance in ensuring the safe return of Belarusian opposition figure and former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to her homeland.

Tikhanovskaya, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Lithuania since the August presidential election in Belarus, asked the international community and, above all, the OSCE for assistance on Tuesday, according to the Belarusian politician's website.

"The OSCE Secretariat has not received an inquiry of this sort regarding Svetlana Tikhanovskaya," the OSCE press service said.

At the same time, the organization added that its offer to facilitate dialogue in Belarus remained on the table.

After the presidential elections held in Belarus on August 9, in which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time, mass opposition protests erupted in the country, which was suppressed by the security forces. The opposition believes that the elections were won by Tikhanovskaya.

The opposition figure fled to Lithuania amid protests against perceived electoral fraud and set up a transitional government with the help of the Baltic state authorities.