Campaign leader arrested again by opposition candidate

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Opposition candidate Svetlana Tichanovskaya

One day before the presidential election in Belarus, the campaign manager of opposition candidate Svetlana Tichanovskaya was arrested again. Maria Moros is expected to be held until Monday, said a spokeswoman for Tichanowskajas for the AFP news agency. The reason for the arrest is unclear.

Moros was arrested earlier this week after visiting the Lithuanian embassy in Minsk. She was released a little later. Tichanovskaya is the most important rival of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been ruling authoritarian for 26 years and is running for a sixth term in Sunday's election. The 37-year-old competed after her husband, well-known blogger Sergei Tichanovsky, was excluded from the election and imprisoned.

Early voting began on Tuesday, the actual election day is Sunday. The authorities took massive action against the opposition before the presidential election.

Political advisor Vitaly Schkliarow was arrested at the end of July while visiting his parents in Belarus. Schkliarow was born in Belarus, but lives in Washington. On Saturday he was now accused of having helped organize mass unrest prior to the election. Schkliarow could face up to three years in prison, said his lawyer. The political advisor denies the allegations. Rather, the reason for his arrest are his comments on Belarusian politics.

Three Russian opposition politicians arrested

State television, citing the Belarusian security service, reported that Schkliarov had advised the detained Tichanovsky. The political expert denies any cooperation. In the past, Schkliarow had advised presidential candidates in the USA, Russia and Ukraine.

"A dictator will always support a dictator"

Opposition politician Dmitri Gudkov on Facebook.

On Saturday three activists of the Russian opposition were arrested in Russia who wanted to travel to Belarus as election observers. The executive director of the Open Russia movement, Andrei Piwowarow, and two other members were taken from a bus and arrested "without any explanation," the group said. Piwowarov faced up to 15 days' imprisonment for resisting border officials.

Lukashenko had accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the election in Belarus. However, Kremlin critics assume that the Kremlin supports Lukashenko. "A dictator will always support a dictator," said opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov on Facebook.

mfh / AFP