Belarus: Opposition leader leaves country as anti-government protests claim first fatality
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition candidate in Sunday's disputed presidential elections, has left Belarus for Lithuania.
The news, confirmed by Lithuania's foreign minister Linas Linkevicius in a tweet on Tuesday morning, follows the second night of violent protests against the rule of Alexander Lukahshneko. The self-styled dictator claimed a scarcely credible 80,08% landslide in the elections, while other polling suggested his opponent had won comfortably.
On Monday night, the demonstrations claimed their first life, with the Belarusian Interior Ministry confirming a protester had died in clashes with police.
At a press conference earlier that day, Ms Tikhanovskaya insisted she had no plans to leave the country. "I don't see any reason why I should be sent to jail, and I don't intend to [leave]," she said.
The opposition leader disappeared after an extended meeting with election authorities in the afternoon. It is unclear what was discussed at that meeting, but she reportedly left abruptly and without discussions with aides.
The Belarusian opposition plans to move to the next stage of their protest on Tuesday, with the start of a nationwide strike.
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