MINSK, March 21: Five European ambassadors joined protesters on Minsk’s main square on Tuesday in a mark of solidarity with a demonstration against President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election victory. The ambassadors from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Latvia visited a small tent camp set up on Oktyabrskaya Square, surrounded by more than 1,000 opposition supporters.

“I came to see how people live and particularly how the right of free assembly and free speech is guaranteed for the population,” said Stephane Shmelevsky, France’s ambassador to Minsk.

“This assembly is totally peaceful and I don’t think this poses any threat to public order,” Mr Shmelevsky said.

The charge d’affaires from the Czech embassy, Vladimir Ruml, said: “We will continue supporting all that is democratic in Belarus.”

“We hope they’ll understand that all Belarussian people have the right to free speech and free assembly,” Mr Ruml said.

Maira Mora, Latvia’s ambassador, said: “I hope in the future they won’t have to go on the square. That they’ll be able to express themselves on the TV and radio.”

Opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich, who called the Minsk rally, has urged the annulment of an election on Sunday that handed President Alexander Lukashenko a crushing victory and a third term in office.—AFP