Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition candidate in Belarus’ presidential election, is in Lithuania, Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said: “She arrived in Lithuania and is safe now”.

“The night was tense, she was detained for a very long time, some seven hours. We didn"t know the circumstances of her detention nor her whereabouts. There was a threat [to Tikhanovkaya]. After I’d been trying to contact her for several hours, unsuccessfully, we started a search. There was a lot of communicating throughout the night, everyone was concerned. She is now in a safe country, which is the most important thing”, - added the Minister.

Tikhanovskaya commented on her decision to leave Belarus in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday noon.

“You know, I though that the campaign had toughened me and gave me strength to endure everything. But I probably remained the weak woman I was in the beginning. I made a very tough decision and made it on my own: neither my friends, relatives, nor the campaign headquarters or Sergey could influence it. I know that many will understand me, many will condemn me and many will hate me. But god forbid anyone should have to make the choice I had to make. So people, take care of yourselves please, no life is worth what is happening right now. Children are the most important thing in our lives”, - she said in the video.