Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the Belarusian sprinters who defected at the Tokyo Olympics had been “manipulated” by external forces, otherwise they would not flee abroad.
As a controversial election extended the first anniversary of his decades-long rule, Lukashenko defended his victory at an annual press conference on Monday, accusing his opponents of planning a ” coup”.
Lukashenko said at a multi-hour event held at the Presidential Palace in Minsk, the capital, “Today, Belarus has become the focus of the world’s attention.”
Lukashenko said, “She won’t do it herself, she was manipulated,” referring to Olympic athlete Christina Zimanusskaya.
In Tokyo, Japan, she contacted her friends in Poland, and they told her-literally-when you came to the airport, you ran to a Japanese policeman and shouted that the person who took her to the airport was a KGB agent.
“Japan does not have a special agent.”
After the 24-year-old Christina Zimanusskaya refused to obey the team’s order to leave the Tokyo Olympics early and return to Belarus, Lukashenko once again became the focus of international attention this month.
Kristina Zimanusskaya claimed that she was worried about the safety of her hometown and sought asylum in Poland. Poland granted her and her husband a humanitarian visa.
Controversial election
The election on August 9 last year gave the 66-year-old Lukashenko a sixth term, but the political opposition in the former Soviet Union condemned the election for manipulation.
Lukashenko said on Monday that he won last year’s presidential election fairly and is protecting his country from violent uprisings.
Lukashenko said that last year, some people “are preparing for a fair election, while others are calling for … a coup.”
After the vote, thousands of people participated in anti-government demonstrations, which was the biggest challenge to Lukashenko’s rule since he became president for the first time in 1994.
In response, Lukashenko launched a full-scale crackdown, thousands of people were arrested, and his main opponents were imprisoned or forced into exile.
Although the protests in Belarus have gradually subsided, the authorities have continued to suppress dissidents in recent weeks, with hundreds of raids targeting independent journalists and democracy activists.
On Sunday, Belarusians living abroad held rallies against Lukashenko in European capitals such as Kiev, London, Warsaw and Vilnius.
Russian support
In the case of disputes with Western countries that imposed sanctions on the Belarusian government, Lukashenko was able to remain in power thanks to the support and financial support of the traditional ally Russia, and Russia regarded Belarus as a buffer state against NATO and the European Union.
As a sign of further tension, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Belarusian potash and petroleum products on Monday in an attempt to put pressure on Lukashenko. Lukashenko quickly retorted that London should “strangle” the new measures.
Canada and the United States also imposed new sanctions on Minsk on Monday. Washington said the move was aimed at combating Lukashenko’s “illegal efforts to preserve power.”
So far, Western sanctions have hardly convinced Lukashenko to change direction.
Al Jazeera’s London correspondent Andrew Simmons reported that the Belarusian leader is unlikely to be affected by the latest measures.
Simmons said, “His position is a kind of contempt and will continue to maintain this state,” adding that “the more the West opposes him, the more he will turn to Russia.”
Lukashenko had previously condemned his opponent as a foreign running dog and accused the United States and its allies, a major NATO member, of conspiring to overthrow him.
In May, a Ryanair passenger plane was forced to change its course to the Belarusian capital Minsk. A dissident journalist on board was arrested. After that, Lukashenko also had a dispute with the European Union.
In addition, the EU neighbors Lithuania and Poland accused the Minsk government of creating an immigration crisis at the Belarusian border in retaliation for EU sanctions.
Lukashenko said Lithuania and Poland should be blamed.
More about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
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