The leader of the Belarusian opposition, Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, will now be protected by the police, confirmed Ramunas Matonis, a representative of the Police Department, to the BNS agency.
“I can confirm that the security for Tikhanovskaya is being transferred to the police,” said Matonis to the BNS agency.
According to him, this will happen “in the coming days.” Until now, the security of the Belarusian was provided by the State Security Service (SSS).
As previously reported by BNS, the intention to lower the security level for Tikhanovskaya and her working premises was announced in October.
Experts had previously expressed the opinion that the change in the security format means the preservation of security at her home and office; however, the leader of the Belarusian opposition is losing personal security both in Lithuania and abroad.
Matonis noted that the specific regime of her security will not be disclosed.
Supporters of this decision argue that the change in Tikhanovskaya's security level is related to a decline in the flow of threats against her, as well as technical reasons.
Critics suspect that the decision was political — as a concession to those who believe that Tikhanovskaya, who arrived in Lithuania after the presidential elections in Belarus in 2020, is being given too much importance, and that an excessive amount of resources is allocated for her security. In their opinion, such a decision diminishes the status of the opposition leader.
Earlier, the media reported that in the event of a change in her security level, Tikhanovskaya might move to live and work in Poland.
Tikhanovskaya's diplomatic advisor, Denis Kuchinski, had said that a final decision regarding security in Lithuania is still awaited.
For her part, Tikhanovskaya stated this week that she is negotiating with Lithuania regarding the organization of security and emphasized that she does not want to leave the country.
