Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya became famous around the world when she ran for president of Belarus in 2020. She ran for office after her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky was arrested by the police.
Tikhanovskaya, who has been singled out by the opposition as the real election winner, was forced to leave the country. Now she is on a visit to Sweden and met Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) yesterday. In an interview with SVT, the opposition leader says that she appreciates the support from the Swedish government.
– We want Belarus to be on the agenda when Sweden takes over the presidency of the EU, she says.
The role of women in the demonstrations against Lukashenko has been important, but the situation for regime critics in Belarus is difficult. The other week there were reports that the Belarusian opposition politician Maria Kalesnikava is said to be in the intensive care unit.
– Everything that is going on around the political prisoners in Belarus is worrying. They are treated worse than criminals and they have no rights, she says.