By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuanians stood in a 35,000-strong human chain stretching 34 km (21 miles) from central Vilnius to the Belarus border on Sunday to show support for protesters in Belarus and opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has taken refuge in the country.
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“More than anyone else, you can understand Belarusians, because not so long ago you went through the same as we do now,” Tsikhanouskaya said in a pre-recorded address.
She did not attend due to security concerns, her team said.
Tsikhanouskaya was the main opposition candidate in an Aug. 9 election in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory - a result that opponents say was rigged and that triggered huge protests against him. Minsk’s streets were again packed with protesters on Sunday.
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