Belarus opposition leader: The European Union has been slow to help the country

The leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, said in an interview published Monday that the European Union was very slow and inconclusive in helping Belarus.

“As for the European Union, this is the pain we are feeling,” she told the media.

Everything seems to be done very slowly. 

I want to get it done faster. 

But just try to displace such a large load.

Tikhanovskaya, 38, fled to Lithuania after she ranked second in the controversial presidential election, which the opposition described as rigged, in favor of the current president, Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarus has been witnessing demonstrations every weekend since the elections that were held on the ninth of August.

The United Nations estimated that about 27,000 protesters were detained.

The European Union described the elections as “neither free nor fair”, and refused to recognize Lukashenko as president.

Tikhanovskaya says she believes the EU should do more to help the opposition movement, especially by imposing more economic sanctions to pressure Lukashenko to step down.

“We are no longer asking, we demand economic sanctions because we know how many people are suffering for nothing,” she added.