Belarusians Must Be Provided Right to Choose Their Leaders: US Deputy State Secretary

Aug. 9 Election Was Fraudulent, says Stephen Biegun

A woman waves an old Belarusian national flag standing on the roof as Belarusian opposition supporters march to Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 3, 2020. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo

U.S. Deputy State Secretary Stephen Biegun called for Belarusian authorities to give its people the right to “choose their leaders through a truly free and fair election under independent observation” in his remarks at a special meeting on the situation in Belarus held by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.

“What is clear to the world is that the Aug. 9 election in Belarus was fraudulent,” Biegun said on Aug. 28 during the OSCE meeting of 57 member states where he represented the United States.