Belarusian Opposition Leader Calls for Nationwide Strike Amidst Ongoing Protests

Thousands of Belorussians have taken to the streets this month, October, to protest the result and fallout of the presidential elections which took place back in August. Source

Last Tuesday, exiled political opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for Belarus to begin a nationwide strike if President Alexander Lukashenko does not resign by October 25th. In her call to action, Tsikhanouskaya warned that “a national strike of all enterprises will begin, all roads will be blocked, sales in state-owned stores will collapse [...] in the meantime Belarusians will continue their peaceful and persistent protest.” 

Protests in Belarus have taken place daily since the August 9 presidential elections, which the United States and the European Union have denounced as undemocratic. Tsikhanouskaya, who officially received only 10% of the vote, claimed the election was fraudulent. Police efforts to suppress these protests have been violent. Since protests began, police have beaten protestors regularly and also used water cannons and stun grenades against them, all of which are capable of causing serious injury or, in the worst case, death. In addition, thousands of protestors have been arrested and jailed in the months since the protests began. 

Another round of arrests took place Saturday, during a series of demonstrations primarily involving students and women. The Associated Press reported more than 30 detainments, including several journalists covering the event, many of whom have now been sentenced to two-week jail terms. 

Tsikhanouskaya fled to Lithuania following the election over fears for her safety. The 37-year-old former English teacher ran in a campaign against Lukashenko in response to her husband’s arrest in May. Syarhei Tsikhanouskaya was a popular political blogger, and had planned to run in the election before his arrest, and Tsikhanouskaya didn’t want his work to go to waste. “The man I loved was trying to topple a powerful dictator, so I did what any wife would do: I ran in his place,” Tsikhanouskaya said in a video editorial for the New York Times.

Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign claimed to have won most polling stations in Minsk on the night of the election, and, nine days after the election, created an opposition Coordination Council. Their goal was to investigate the fraudulent election and transfer power away from Lukashenko if needed. The Coordination Council was created independently, without approval from the government, and in the months since the election, all seven leading members have either been jailed by Lukashenko’s administration or have fled to neighboring countries for safety.  

The Belarus Investigative Committee made calls for Tsikhanouskaya’s arrest in response to her calls for a strike. Officials in Moscow have also put Tsikhanouskaya on a wanted list in support of Lukashenko’s administration, with whom they maintain close ties. 

The strike is set to begin this upcoming Sunday, but it is currently unclear if Tsikhanouskaya’s supporters are capable of the organization required to shut down the country at the scale Tsikhanouskaya is hoping for. In the wake of Tsikhanouskaya’s announcement of the upcoming strike, protests continued. Over 50,000 people marched through Minsk on Sunday, despite Lukashenko’s recent threats to use live ammunition against demonstrators. Many of the protestors chanted in support of the strike. In the week since Tsikhanouskaya voiced her demands, Lukashenko has not responded with plans to resign nor has he released any political prisoners.