Joe Biden has voiced support for Belarus’s opposition in its general strike against President Alexander Lukashenko, saying the embattled leader’s reign was illegitimate. Biden, who leads President Donald Trump in polls ahead of next week’s US election, promised if he wins to “significantly expand” sanctions alongside European allies against “Lukashenko’s henchmen”. “Although President Trump refuses to speak out on their behalf, I continue to stand with the people of Belarus and support their democratic aspirations,” Biden said in a statement. “I also condemn the appalling human rights abuses committed by the Lukashenko regime. “No leader who tortures his own people can ever claim legitimacy … I will continue to join Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and the people of Belarus in calling for the peaceful transfer of power, the release of all political prisoners, and free and fair elections so the Belarusian people are finally able to exercise the democratic rights for which they have sacrificed so much.” Workers at factories on Monday started a strike after a deadline for Lukashenko to resign set by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who contested him in August elections. Despite the sight of large columns of protesters in the streets again – and the sense that the protest has … Continue reading Biden promised to support the Belarusian opposition in the elimination of Lukashenka