Belarus opposition leader a victim of tactics from the Lukashenko playbook

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya becomes the latest to crumble under government pressure

It looked like a hostage video. Reading from a piece of paper, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition leader, told supporters in a subdued voice not to join mass protests in Belarus or put their lives at risk".

Hours later, she was in Lithuania, implying she had faced an ultimatum: God forbid you ever have to face the choice that I faced."