Detained Political Consultant Leaves Belarus for US: Lawyer
Image Credits: Libereco
Minsk, Oct 28 (AFP/APP): Prominent American political strategist Vitali Shkliarov, who was detained in Belarus late July and accused of mobilising protesters, has arrived in the United States, his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday.
Shkliarov was among the several prominent figures detained in Belarus amid a crackdown on opponents of strongman president Alexander Lukashenko, whose victory in the August 9 presidential election sparked historic protests. A Harvard University fellow who has advised political campaigns in the US, Russia and Ukraine, Skhliarov was detained in Minsk on July 29 and charged with organising actions violating public order.
He was released under house arrest earlier this month after meeting with Lukashenko inside the KGB security service prison where he was being held. In an October 24 phone call with Lukashenko, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded the release of the “wrongfully detained US citizen”.
“I confirm that Vitali has arrived in the United States and is in Washington”, his lawyer Anton Gashinsky told AFP.
Gashinsky on Tuesday indicated his client had left Belarus for Ukraine but did not specify how he was able to leave the country while under house arrest. Shkliarov had been actively commenting on the situation in Belarus ahead of the election. In an article for Forbes Russia, he said Lukashenko’s election campaign was based on “populism and crude force”.
Opponents of Lukashenko say the true winner of the polls was Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a political novice who ran in the election in place of her jailed blogger husband. She has since taken refuge in EU member Lithuania. All members of the opposition’s Coordination Council — except for Nobel prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich — are either in exile or custody. The group is seeking to oversee the peaceful transition of power and organise new elections. Alexievich is also currently abroad for health reasons. The disputed election has sparked unprecedented protests against Lukashenko’s 26-year rule, which were met with a violent police crackdown.
On Monday, the opposition announced a nationwide strike as Tikhanovskaya’s deadline for Lukashenko to resign and halt violence against protesters was ignored.
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