Денис Кучинский. Скриншот Офиса Светланы Тихановской
Belarusian authorities have stepped up pressure on the democratic community after responsibility for the security of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was transferred to Lithuania’s Criminal Police Bureau. This was stated by diplomatic adviser to the democratic leader Dzianis Kuchynski, Delfi reported.
“Since the announcement of changes in the security system, we have faced increased pressure from the regime. Almost every day, KGB officers contact our staff, threaten their relatives in Belarus, and carry out cyberattacks. Threats are being directed both personally at S. Tsikhanouskaya and at members of her office. A. Lukashenka’s propaganda is also using this situation to intensify pressure on the entire democratic community,” he said.
“We do not want to speculate about the internal reasons behind this decision by the Lithuanian authorities. We respect any decision and understand that we are guests. We are extremely grateful for everything Lithuania has done over these years. Regardless of the circumstances, we will continue the struggle against the Lukashenka regime,” the adviser added.
Earlier, adviser to the Lithuanian prime minister Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas said that the decision to transfer security to the police was linked to an assessment of the threat level and that the current level of protection is sufficient. Kuchynski disagrees with this assessment and stresses that the threats remain.
“Security is not only about physical protection. It is also about whether people feel safe overall. At present, the level of threat has not decreased. This has also been publicly confirmed by the head of the State Security Department. The entire security apparatus of the Lukashenka regime is working against us,” he said.
He recalled that several weeks ago Alyaksandr Lukashenka publicly called on Lithuania to stop supporting the opposition in Vilnius.
“Quite recently, he again spoke about Tsikhanouskaya, openly stating that he must not allow her ‘to win again.’ Can we feel safe under such circumstances? Obviously not. That is precisely why we rely on Lithuania and our other allies,” Kuchynski said.
Asked whether Tsikhanouskaya’s office would consider leaving Lithuania in connection with the change in the level of security, he did not give a direct answer but emphasized that new security measures are currently being assessed. According to him, the office based in Vilnius is operating as usual.
“At present, we are assessing new security measures in Lithuania. For now, our office in Vilnius is operating in its normal mode. Our priority is ensuring the safety of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the entire team,” the adviser noted.
It should be recalled that responsibility for Tsikhanouskaya’s security was transferred to the Criminal Police Bureau from the Government Security Service, which had previously provided her protection. Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas said that the change in security does not mean a withdrawal of support for the Belarusian democratic forces and that technical measures are being taken in line with the assessed threat level.