Belarusian opposition denies receiving overseas funding to organise women's protests
Sep 13, 2020
Minsk [Belarus], September 13 (ANI/Sputnik): The marches of women in Belarus amid the post-election protests have not been funded from abroad, the Belarusian opposition-led Coordination Council said on Saturday.
Earlier, the Belarusian national television released a story implicating Californian-headquartered IT company PandaDoc in soliciting funding from the US State Department for the opposition protests in Belarus, specifically the all-women rallies.
"The female protest movement in Belarus exists thanks to the strength, courage and political will of women in Belarus and does not receive funding from outside Belarus," the Coordination Council's female arm said in a statement.
A few PandaDoc senior staff in Belarus were arrested and faced with criminal persecution on fraud charges after CEO Mikita Mikado vowed support to the pro-opposition protests and offered assistance to officers who chose to quit the law enforcement.
Belarusian opposition initiated mass protests nationwide after a presidential election on August 9 saw incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term.
According to the electoral authorities, he secured over 80 per cent of the vote, but the opposition has insisted that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an opposition candidate, won the election.
Police cracked down on protestors during the first several days of the unrest, but have since halted the excessive use of force. More than 6,700 people were detained during the initial phase of the protest. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, three people died and several hundred others sustained injuries during that period, including more than 130 security officers.
The Coordination Council was established on August 14 with the goal to carry out a peaceful transition of power. (ANI/Sputnik)
