Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko has said that Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who defected at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, had been "manipulated" by outside forces.
Tsimanouskaya fled to Poland from Tokyo following a dispute with her coaching team which she said had led to her being ordered home.
"She wouldn't do it herself, she was manipulated. It was from Japan, from Tokyo that she contacted her buddies in Poland and they told her - literally - when you come to the airport, run to a Japanese police officer and shout that those who dropped her off at the airport are KGB agents," Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko was speaking to the press on the first anniversary of his disputed re-election as president.
Opponents say that last year’s election was rigged to let him win, while Lukashenko maintains he won the polls fairly and saved Belarus from a violent uprising.
He alleges that some people had been "preparing for a fair election, while others were calling ... for a coup d'état."
Tens of thousands took to the streets in 2020, in what was the biggest challenge to Lukashenko's rule since he became president in 1994.
He responded with a crackdown on opponents in which many have been arrested or gone into exile abroad.
He also denied being a dictator. "In order to dictate - I am a completely sane person - you need to have the appropriate resources. I have never dictated anything to anyone and I am not going to," he said.
- EU bans Belarusian carriers from airspace, as political tension remains high
- Western powers call for investigation into Belarus plane diversion
Relations with EU at all time low
Tensions with Western powers hit new heights after Belarusian authorities forced a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk as it flew over Belarus in May and arrested a dissident Belarusian journalist who was on board.
Belarusians abroad held rallies against Lukashenko on Sunday in cities including Kyiv, London, Warsaw and Vilnius.
August 9, 2021.
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) August 8, 2021
1 stolen presidential election in Belarus.
Millions of votes for changes.
365 days of peaceful protests.
610 polit. prisoners.
Thousands are imprisoned on polit. grounds.
36,000 came through detentions.
We continue to fight until all of these numbers are history. pic.twitter.com/p2VCJJWkX5
- Ryanair forced diversion by Belarus was 'state piracy': EU commissioner
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The Belarusian opposition says there are now more than 600 political prisoners in jail, and exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for additional sanctions against the Belarusian authorities.
"The regime is not ready to change its behaviour. I think a new wave of sanction measures have to be imposed on the regime because they don't understand another language," she told a news conference in Vilnius.
Meanwhile, Tsimanouskaya announced she would participate in the 'Marathon for Freedom' event organised by the Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation which, according to their website, provides financial, psychological, and legal assistance to Belarusian athletes who have suffered from the actions of the regime.
(with Reuters)
