Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is demanding an immediate end to the violent crackdown by Belarus's government on opposition supporters after a disputed election on August 9 that gave longtime authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka a new six-year term.
Pompeo also said on September 2 that the United States was reviewing significant targeted sanctions on anyone involved in human rights abuses in Belarus in consultation with Washington's transatlantic partners.
Speaking at a news conference, Pompeo said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun traveled to the region at his direction last week and stated Washington’s belief that "the people of Belarus deserve the right to choose their own leaders."
Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets across Belarus to protest the "rigged" results that gave Lukashenka more than 80 percent of the vote.
Many countries around the world have rejected the election results and criticized Lukashenka's crackdown on protesters and opposition members both before and after the vote.
Related
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
In Russia's War Economy, The Warning Lights Are Blinking
2Putin Says Russia Fired New Intermediate Missile At Ukraine After ICBM Accusations
3RFE/RL Reveals Chilling New Details Of Bucha Massacre As Ukraine Marks 1,000 Days Of War
4Steps Too Far As Moscow, Washington Cross 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine?
5Wider Europe Briefing: Georgia's Vanishing EU Dreams
6Ukraine Live Briefing: Kyiv Loses 40 Percent Of Land Held In Russia's Kursk Region, Says Military Source
7Dutch Deliver Final 2 F-16 Jets, As Germany, U.S. Set New Ukraine Aid Packages
8The Far-Right Firebrand Too Dangerous To Run For Romania's Presidency
9Russia Says Ukraine Used ATACMS Against Military Target In Bryansk
10Report: Senior North Korean General Wounded In Russia
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
