In Minsk held a big campaign rally of the presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovski. According to the latest human rights defenders in the peoples ‘ Friendship Park on Bangalore square came about 63 thousand (previous picket Svetlana here has gathered about 10 thousand people, today the team of the joint staff wanted to collect 75 thousand).
From 18 to 22 hours the audience was addressed by representatives of the joint staff, relatives of political prisoners — the girl Edward of Babariko Sasha Zvereva, the father of Dmitry Furmanov, the wife of Mikalai Statkevich and Pavel Seviarynets, — Director Andrey kureychik, musicians…
In the place of the picket there were serious problems with the mobile Internet, fully show the event in the stream, alas, has neither the organizers nor our colleagues from radio Svaboda. TUT.BY all this time waged the text online — and now we briefly describe what was happening to those who could not follow real time.
The candidate Svetlana Tikhanovski the beginning of the speech in the Belarusian language, then switched to Russian. She once again stated that goes to the President for her husband and Belarusians and its main goal — the release of political prisoners, holding new fair elections and the referendum on the return to the 1994 Constitution.
“I do not need power, but her husband behind bars. I had to hide the children. I haven’t, I am tired of being silent, I’m tired of being afraid,” admitted Tikhanovski.
Svetlana talked about the arrests at peaceful protest, Russian militants tied to Tikhanovski, the difficult life of ordinary Belarusians. And once again repeated that came to her on the picket and in General support the joint staff people — peaceful Belarusians: “They talk about a revolution. My God, what a revolution? People, we just want fair elections. What revolution? So why do you provoke your people? Us fighters absolutely useless. We are peaceful people”.
Maria Kolesnikova, staff representative Victor Babariko, talked about the fact that today the electoral activity of Belarusians was just incredible: “we wrote a whole world, we began to rent shows and films we see on the news. It is the people who care how to live. We thought for a long time, they are powerless, we long been taught. The real power was in us. In most countries the President is elected by the people, we have to fight for their right to choose. Is this normal? More recently we have said that nothing will change, did not go to vote because they think nothing will change, people showed the authorities that they are people. Do we think so now?”
Veronika Tsepkalo said from the scene on a personal (in principle on the personal stories were built the performances of all participants): told came the complex story of his mother, who was an official, had cancer, was taken into custody in a criminal case against her in the hospital; protested to the President about her family — she resents that her husband, at that time presidential contender Valery Tsepkalo, Lukashenko in one of his speeches called “pig”, her — “sow” them boys, twins — “stillborn”: “Rudeness, rudeness, rudeness! We are tired of this!” Veronica cried a lot — her speech was very emotional.
In addition, in anticipation of the President’s message to people and Parliament Tsepkalo formulated for Lukashenka questions, she said, the people of Belarus should receive the answers. So
Why Belarus, which 25 years ago had the most potential in the CIS, has become the second poorest region? Why pensions and salaries in Belarus are lower than in other countries? Why every year from Belarus leaves so many people? Why the birth rate falls? In 2019 Belarus has broken another record — were born here the same children as in 1945, when the whole country lay in ruins. Why the most expensive and choicest pieces of land give away for free to foreigners? Why basic human rights are violated: the right to protest, and most importantly — the right to fair and democratic elections? Why are our troubles always “blame someone else” — the CPS, the state Department etc. — everything except ourselves? Why is our country falling into an economic abyss, and the people getting poorer and poorer?
“Changes! Change!” — chanted in response, a crowd of thousands.
Finally, came to the event to the song “Walls” turned on the flashlights of their phones. The picket ended at claimed time — about 22.00. People coming from the Park of Friendship of peoples, the Minsk drivers on the streets, supported by signals of automobile horns.
Looks like on 30 July there occurred the largest mass action in the history of independent Belarus — according to the latest data of human rights activists, the rally came Tikhanovski 63 thousand people. Recall that during the “square-2010” in Minsk unauthorized came about 50 thousand people.
