Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong solidarity with the citizens and the political dissidents of Belarus. On August 9, 2020, Belarus held its presidential election with its incumbent President, Alexander Lukashenko, claiming victory with over 80 percent of the vote. Both the United States and the European Union have called the elections ``neither fair or free,'' as the Lukashenko regime restricted ballot access for candidates, prohibited local independent observers, and employed intimidation tactics against opposition candidates. Mass protests erupted following the election. Tens of thousands of protestors took to the street to express their disapproval of Lukashenko and his administration. His regime responded with excessive force to quell the protests, including the use of live and rubber ballots, leading to thousands of Belarusian citizens being either detained or arrested. It appears likely that violent crackdowns will continue. Mr. Speaker, included in these arrests are several opposition leaders, including former presidential candidates Sergei Tikhanovsky, Viktar Babaryka, Coordination Council members Liliya Vlasova, Sergei Dylevsky, Maria Kalesnikava, and Maxim Znak, as well as several of their staff and volunteers, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition presidential nominee, was forced to flee the country, as was opposition leader Veronika Tsepkalo and her husband, former presidential nominee, Valery Tsepkalo.…”