Montenegrin Opposition Criticizes Belarus For 'Persecuting Journalists As Terrorists'

Montenegrin Opposition Criticizes Belarus for 'Persecuting Journalists as Terrorists'

The persecution of journalists covering the post-election protests in Belarus is unacceptable, Aleksandar Sekuliс, a member of the Presidency of Montenegro's opposition Democratic People's Party, told Sputnik on Wednesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) The persecution of journalists covering the post-election protests in Belarus is unacceptable, Aleksandar Sekuliс, a member of the Presidency of Montenegro's opposition Democratic People's Party, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

Protests erupted in Minsk and other Belarusian cities following the controversial presidential election on Sunday. Police used water cannons, stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Thousands of people were arrested and many journalists, both local and foreign, were detained, deported, assaulted or simply went missing.

"It is especially dangerous and unacceptable when you arrest and persecute the media as terrorists and criminals. Human rights are more important than any election, or disagreement between the government and the opposition," Sekuliс said.

The politician described the Belarusian authorities' response to the protests as having "strong elements of brutality and human rights violations."

Sekuliс also pointed out the passiveness of the United States and the European Union in seeking a solution to the Belarusian crisis, saying that they "have had their own agenda for Belarus for a long time and now they are only initiating it further."

According to official preliminary results, incumbent Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko won a landslide victory with over 80 percent of the vote, while his key rival, opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won less than 10 percent.

Tikhanovskaya, who according to her campaign was forced to flee from the country, has refused to recognize the results and claimed that the true outcome was exactly the opposite, with her winning up to 80 percent of the vote.