‘You can choke on those sanctions’: Lukashenko holds a press conference on the anniversary of Belarus’s contested presidential vote

On August 9, the anniversary of Belarus's contested presidential election, Alexander Lukashenko held a press conference that lasted for more than eight hours. Responding to questions from journalists, the Belarusian dictator downplayed the scale of the opposition demonstrations that erupted last year, denied evidence that Belarusian police tortured protesters in custody, and said the UK could "choke" on its latest package of sanctions against Belarus. Lukashenko also claimed that he's going to step down "very soon." Meduza summarizes Lukashenko's statements here. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/08/09/you-can-choke-on-those-sanctions