Yaraslaw Ramanchuk has lashed out at fellow presidential candidates over an anti-Lukashenka post-election demonstration that took place in downtown Minsk after the closure of the polls on December 19.
While talking to reporters on Monday, Mr. Ramanchuk, deputy chairman of the United Civic Party (UCP), criticized Mikalay Statkevich, Andrey Sannikaw and Vital Rymashewski for leading demonstrators, who had massed in Kastrychnitskaya Square and nearby, to Independence Square where the House of Government is located.
"There they provoked clashes and attempted to storm the House of Government," Mr. Ramanchuk said. "The lives of thousands of people came under threat."
"Andrey Sannikaw instigated by his spouse, Iryna Khalip, sought to foil the fragile dialogue that had just begun between Belarus and the international community," he said.
Mr. Ramanchuk said that he had repeatedly tried to persuade Messrs. Sannikaw and Statkevich to give up "plans of radical actions.""Revolutions only disrupt democratic processes and violent protests are not able to create an atmosphere for comprehensive dialogue in society," he said.
Mr. Ramanchuk called for a "thorough investigation into actions of every protester.""Both the European Union and Russia are interested in it," he said. Mr. Ramanchuk is one of the two presidential candidates who have not been arrested over the protest, BelaPAN informs.
Yaraslau Ramanchuk has confirmed that he condemns the actions of Nyaklyayeu, Sannikau and Statkevich in an interview with nn.by. He has also added that he thinks that the actions in Independence Square were provocative.
Ramanchuk also said that he had received information that the authorities were going "to deal with the political parties" whose representatives had taken part in the protest action on December 19. The politician said he had made the statement to save his party, informs Euroradio.
