The European Union calls on Belarus to stop the criminal case initiated against the coordinating Council of the Belarusian opposition. This is stated in a statement by the press Secretary of the EU high representative for foreign Affairs and security policy Nabila Massrali, reports Reuters.
“We expect that the Belarusian authorities will stop the criminal case and instead start a dialogue with the aim of moving towards a peaceful solution to the current crisis,” the diplomat said.
Massrali stressed that the Council was created as an appeal to the authorities for the sake of dialogue, but they responded with a criminal case. “Thus, the Belarusian authorities have again returned to intimidation based on political motives,” the statement reads.
On August 20, it was reported that a criminal case was opened in Belarus under the article on the seizure of power after the creation of the coordinating Council of the opposition. Several of its members have already been called as witnesses.
Mass protests in Belarus broke out after the presidential election on August 9, in which, according to the Central election Commission, the current head of state Alexander Lukashenko won 80 percent of the vote. The protests were supported by workers of large enterprises who declared strikes.