People's Embassy of Belarus in Montenegro

On August 9, 2020, Belarus held presidential elections, the results of which are not recognized by the Belarusian people or most countries of the world, including the EU, the United States, Canada, and the Great Britain.

In response to peaceful demonstrations against falsifications, the government went to unprecedented violence: water cannons, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets were used, more than 30,000 people were brutally detained, more than 1,400 cases of cruelty, torture, violence were proven, at least 7 people died. The government refuses to investigate cases of cruelty; not a single criminal case has been opened against representatives of the security forces.

The Belarusian people are actually held hostage by the illegitimate president and his security forces. The law enforcement and judicial systems no longer function: people are arrested, beaten, abducted, forced out of the country, tortured, fined, fired; lawyers are not allowed to see the detainees, court hearings are held via Skype, prosecution witnesses appear with closed faces and under assumed names. Journalists of international media were deprived of their accreditation and deported from the country, Belarusian journalists were detained, the websites of democratic organizations and mass media were blocked in the country, the Internet was turned off.

Mass protests, strikes, actions of solidarity in Belarus continue from August 9 to this day. Solidarity actions are taking place all over the world, Belarusians abroad support the demands of the demonstrators: stop violence, investigate cases of violence and torture, release political prisoners, hold new elections under OSCE supervision.

Why were the elections neither fair nor honest? 

The elections were held with serious violations of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Belarus and international norms at all stages:

•  the main opponents were refused to register as presidential candidates, were arrested or forced to leave the country (Babariko and Tikhanovsky are still in prison on trumped-up cases).
• independent members were not admitted to election commissions (out of more than 6,000 people who submitted applications, only 7 were included in the commissions).
• independent observers were not allowed to the polling stations, they were forced to observe the elections outside.
• Belarus did not promptly invite the OSCE to observe the elections
• early voting turnout was rigged (about 40% according to official data, 12% according to independent observation)
• numerous falsifications in the counting of votes, figures demanded by the executive branch were often entered into the final protocols. Violations were recorded in more than 30% of all polling stations. 
• the data of the published protocols (about 60% for Lukashenko) differ from the results announced by the CEC (80.3%).
• protocols for many polling stations were not made public, ballots were destroyed in the first days after the elections.

According to independent opinion polls, information from observers at polling stations and platforms for alternative counting of votes, as well as according to the protocols of “fair” polling stations, Alexander Lukashenko received no more than 20% of the vote, while Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — from 56 to 95%.

A detailed report on the falsifications was prepared by the independent platforms “Golos”, “Zubr”, “Honest People”., based on the results of the received and processed official precinct protocols and photos of the bulletins, they came to the following conclusions:

1. The elections are invalid, since fraud was found in every third polling station.

2. The final data announced by the CEC differ significantly from the official data from the precinct protocols.

3. Alexander Lukashenko cannot be considered the legitimate president of Belarus.

4. A large number of votes for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya were stolen by precinct commissions

Detailed report in English: https://belarus2020.org/