٠٠:٠٣:١٥Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya spoke at a prayer service for the people of Belarus at Berlin Cathedral on Sunday.
At the ecumenical service, which was held following rules put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tikhanovskaya drew parallels between Berlin's history of division and the ongoing anti-government protests in her home country.
"The city of Berlin was once divided by a brick wall. The whole of Europe was once divided by the invisible wall," she said, before stressing that "for many years Belarusians were separated from each other by all kinds of visible and invisible walls."
"But our common hope and our thirst for freedom and justice demolished the division while keeping the diversities," she added.
Belarus has been swept by anti-government protests following the disputed presidential election that saw long-time President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term in August after defeating Tikhanovskaya.
The EU and the USA, as well as many other countries, have announced that they do not recognise results of the August elections and have implemented sanctions against the Belarusian authorities over alleged electoral fraud and a subsequent crackdown on protesters.
Germany: Belarusian opposition leader Tikhanovskaya attends prayer service for Belarus at Berlin Cathedral
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya spoke at a prayer service for the people of Belarus at Berlin Cathedral on Sunday.
At the ecumenical service, which was held following rules put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tikhanovskaya drew parallels between Berlin's history of division and the ongoing anti-government protests in her home country.
"The city of Berlin was once divided by a brick wall. The whole of Europe was once divided by the invisible wall," she said, before stressing that "for many years Belarusians were separated from each other by all kinds of visible and invisible walls."
"But our common hope and our thirst for freedom and justice demolished the division while keeping the diversities," she added.
Belarus has been swept by anti-government protests following the disputed presidential election that saw long-time President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term in August after defeating Tikhanovskaya.
The EU and the USA, as well as many other countries, have announced that they do not recognise results of the August elections and have implemented sanctions against the Belarusian authorities over alleged electoral fraud and a subsequent crackdown on protesters.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya spoke at a prayer service for the people of Belarus at Berlin Cathedral on Sunday.
At the ecumenical service, which was held following rules put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tikhanovskaya drew parallels between Berlin's history of division and the ongoing anti-government protests in her home country.
"The city of Berlin was once divided by a brick wall. The whole of Europe was once divided by the invisible wall," she said, before stressing that "for many years Belarusians were separated from each other by all kinds of visible and invisible walls."
"But our common hope and our thirst for freedom and justice demolished the division while keeping the diversities," she added.
Belarus has been swept by anti-government protests following the disputed presidential election that saw long-time President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected for a sixth term in August after defeating Tikhanovskaya.
The EU and the USA, as well as many other countries, have announced that they do not recognise results of the August elections and have implemented sanctions against the Belarusian authorities over alleged electoral fraud and a subsequent crackdown on protesters.