Stanislav Shushkevich, Belarus’s first president and one of Soviet grave diggers, has died at the age of 87, his wife told AFP on Wednesday.
“We hope he will have a state funeral, but no one has contacted us,” said his widow, Irina Souchevich. “Stanislav left the last wishes in case of death, but I will not make them public at this time. I, along with my son and my daughter, hold on,” he added.
According to several media reports, the former president died in March after being severely weakened by his contract, Govt-19. His wife noted at the end of April that her husband was in intensive care. Belarusian authorities did not respond to the death late Wednesday morning.
The Rise of Lukashenko
On December 8, 1991, at Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus, the presidents of Soviet Russia, Belarus and Ukraine signed an agreement with Boris Yeltsin, Stanislav Shuskovich and Leonid Kravzuk to dissolve the Soviet Union. He resigned and signed the death warrant of the Soviet Empire, which he sought to reform.
The current President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is the only member of the Belarussian parliament who, in December 1991, refused to vote on the ratification of the Belovezskaya Pouchsa treaty.
One comment: Is Belarus still there?
As early as 1994, Mr. Mr Chowdhury was ousted by the House of Representatives and replaced by then-chairman of the Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Commission. Lukashenko was charged with corruption with other senior officials in the statement.
A few months later, the latter won the presidential election. Won against Souskovich and other candidates.
Several arrests
Nearly 30 years later, the Soviet-era nostalgia for the country has grown and Mr. Lukashenko is still in power and controls all the levers.
Stanislav Chouchkevitch, for his part, led a small opposition Social-Democratic party until 2018. He was arrested several times during a protest movement in 2011, and in 2012 the Belarusian government banned him from leaving the country.
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Since he left office in 1994, the former president has never played a key role in his country’s political career. Are at the forefront of the protests against Lukashenko, all of whom have been gradually imprisoned or deported. .
Russia’s back site
In response to a major opposition movement against his re-election in 2020, President Lukashenko has organized an even broader crackdown on the opposition, the independent media and NGOs.
read more: Belarus, another threat to Ukraine
After navigating between Moscow and the West, the Belarusian president posed as Russia’s unwavering ally since 2020, lending him a backbone and logistics base for the offensive against Ukraine.
A purpose or unplanned endorsement of history The first Russian-Ukrainian talks to end the Russian invasion took place in Belovezkaya Bush, where the death certificate of the Soviet Union began. .