Exiled rival accuses Lukashenko of playing 'game' with prisoners before Belarus election

By Ilze Filks

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of playing games with the West by drip-feeding releases of political prisoners ahead of an election on Sunday in which he is set to extend his 31-year rule.

In an interview with Reuters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tsikhanouskaya condemned the election as a sham, citing the jailing of opponents and the absence of free media.

"What in the democratic world you call elections has nothing in common with this event in Belarus. Because it's mostly like a ritual for dictators, when they are reappointing themselves," she said.

Last weekend Lukashenko pardoned the latest batch of 23 people convicted of "extremist" activity in what state media called a humanitarian gesture, bringing the number of such releases to 250 since last July.

Tsikhanouskaya said he was playing his "usual game before so-called elections" of freeing political prisoners in the hope of winning concessions from the West. She said the releases, while welcome, did not represent any easing of repression because more people were being arrested all the time.

"It’s not a change of policy, it’s like testing democracy. 'Look, I release 20 people, is it enough for you? Are you ready, you know, to lift sanctions? Are you ready to recognise me? No? OK, 20 more,'" she said.

There should be no bargaining with Lukashenko while he continued to hold prisoners - including her husband Siarhei - as "hostages", Tsikhanouskaya said.

"We need to stop repressions, we need to release all prisoners and maybe then we will talk to you," she added.

PROTEST CRACKDOWN

Human rights group Viasna says there are some 1,250 political prisoners in Belarus. Lukashenko says there are none. In charge of the country since 1994, he denies rigging elections and says it is the Belarusian people who have entrusted him with power.

Tsikhanouskaya ran against Lukashenko in the last election in 2020 and, together with Western governments, accused him of stealing victory from her by resorting to massive vote-rigging.

Tens of thousands of people were arrested in the following months as Lukashenko ordered his security apparatus to crack down on mass protests. The European Union said Lukashenko lacked "any democratic legitimacy".

Tsikhanouskaya said the exiled opposition was counting on further support from what she called the "democratic world" in its efforts to weaken Lukashenko and bring change to the country.

"Our fight is not just only for Belarus, it's a fight against dictatorship," she said. "We need allies in this fight."

She said that any forthcoming peace talks on Ukraine should also address the future of Belarus, which under Lukashenko has been a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and allowed him to attack Ukraine from its territory.

Belarus has historically been dominated by Russia and the longstanding fear of many Belarusians is that they risk losing their national identity and being swallowed up entirely by their much larger eastern neighbour.

Tsikhanouskaya said a goal of the talks, if they happen, should be the withdrawal of Russian troops not only from Ukraine but also from Belarus, including nuclear weapons.

"You know, what the Belarusian people are afraid of now is that Belarus might be given as a consolation prize to Putin," she said.

"That at the moment of negotiation we might save Ukraine on some terms but Belarus will stay in the status quo and it will postpone changes in Belarus for many, many years."

(Reporting by Reuters TV, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Alex Richardson)