Belarus Opposition Leader Leaves Country Amid Growing Protests

MOSCOW—Belarus’s opposition leader has left for neighboring Lithuania, saying she had to consider the future of her two children following the country’s disputed presidential elections and a second night of violent protests.

“I made a very difficult decision for myself. I made this decision absolutely independently,” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in an emotional video address posted on social media. She added that not even her husband had influenced her.

Ms. Tikhanovskaya, 37, didn’t reveal her whereabouts, but her campaign confirmed Tuesday that she was in Lithuania and recorded the video there on Monday night.

The Lithuanian foreign minister also said Tuesday on Twitter that Ms. Tikhanovskaya was in his country. He provided no further details.

Ms. Tikhanovskaya emerged as the opposition candidate in Sunday’s election after her husband, a well-known YouTuber who had planned to contest the vote, was detained in May for allegedly inciting unrest.