MINSK. Jan 15 (Interfax) - The recording of the presumed talk between Belarusian law enforcement and security officials about actions against the opposition has been sent to the U.S. Congress, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe, former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said.
"I am certain you have heard the recording in which Deputy Interior Minister Karpenkov speaks to his subordinates. We have already sent it to the U.S. Congress, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and our other international partners," Tikhanovskaya said on her Telegram channel on Friday.
She also said she has called on the European Union "to recognize GUBOPiK [the Main Directorate on the Fight against Organized Crime and Corruption] and the OMON [special task police] as terrorist organizations."
The Belarusian Interior Ministry earlier said the video posted on the Internet by former law enforcement officials' opposition initiative is a fake. "We have not commented and we will not comment on fakes," Belarusian Interior Ministry spokesperson Olga Chemodanova told Interfax.
An opposition initiative comprising former Belarusian law enforcement and security officials earlier posted a recording on the Internet on Friday that was said to have been taped during a speech delivered by Deputy Interior Minister Nikolai Karpenkov to the personnel of the Main Directorate for the Prevention of Organized Crime and Corruption, known by the acronym GUBOPiK, in October 2020. The person, who was said to be Karpenkov, commented in the recording on the cause of death of Alexander Taraikovsky, who was killed during the August protests, and law enforcement officials' actions. The person in the recording also spoke about the creation of some camp for the most active protesters.
Belarus has seen continuous protests against the official results of the August 9 presidential election. The authorities declared incumbent head of state Alexander Lukashenko the winner. Lukashenko has been in office since 1994. The opposition has not recognized the results of the presidential election, saying they were rigged. The protesters are demanding Lukashenko's resignation, the release of political prisoners, and a new election. Belarus's security forces have brutally suppressed the protests.