Belarus opposition leader says: we must end Lukashenko's 'hell'

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks to journalists at Downing Street following her meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in London, Britain, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

LONDON (Reuters) -Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Tuesday a non-violent transition to democracy from President Alexander Lukashenko's "hell" was possible in the former Soviet republic.

"I absolutely believe in a non-violent transition of power," Tsikhanouskaya, a 38-year-old former teacher and blogger, told Reuters. "What is going on in Belarus is our pain - we want this hell finished as soon as possible in our country."