NEW BELARUS CONFERENCE
The New Belarus Conference 2024, organized by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, took place in Vilnius on August 3-4, gathering over 300 representatives of Belarusian civil society organizations and political bodies, politicians, diplomats, experts, activists, and journalists. More than 100 organizations and initiatives were represented. The conference was watched online by over 70,000 users on various platforms.
During the conference, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet and the Coordination Council addressed numerous issues relevant to Belarusians, including the New Belarus Passport, political prisoner exchange, the strategy for the 2025 election in Belarus, and more.
Key events of the conference included the signing of the Protocol for Cooperation formalizing relations between different bodies of Belarus’ democratic forces and the presentation of Platform 2025 shaping the framework of activities for 2025.
The following declarations were released following the conference: “Unconstitutional Seizure of Power: Why A. Lukashenka Must Be Barred from the 2025 Election”, Declaration on Accountability and Restoring Justice, Declaration on the Foreign Policy Priorities of Democratic Belarus, Draft Declaration on Support for Independent Media, Draft Declaration on the Need for the Release and Support for Political Prisoners, and Draft Declaration on the Youth Policy of the Democratic Forces of Belarus. These documents reflect the key goals and objectives of the democratic forces of Belarus for the near future.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya awarded the Unbowed Medal (Larysa Henijush Medal) to 13 former political prisoners for significant contributions to the Belarusian people’s struggle for human rights and democratic freedoms.
The conference also featured side events that took place on August 2 and 5.
NEW APPOINTMENTS TO UNITED TRANSITIONAL CABINET
During the New Belarus Conference, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced new appointments to the United Transitional Cabinet. She nominated Vadzim Kabanchuk for the Representative for Defense and National Security, Marharyta Vorykhava for the Representative for Youth and Student Affairs, and Ambassador Vladzimir Astapenka for the Representative for International and European Cooperation. The new representatives are to be approved by the Coordination Council.
MEMORY OF MEDININKAI TRAGEDY VICTIMS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the ceremony commemorating the victims of the Medininkai tragedy. Alongside the President and Prime Minister of Lithuania, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions, the Belarusian leader honored the memory of Lithuanian border guards who died defending the Lithuanian state border from Soviet troops.
PRISONER EXCHANGE
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office commented on the prisoner exchange between the USA, Germany, Russia, and other countries, expressing regret that Belarusian political prisoners were not released as part of the exchange.
ATTACK ON KROPKA STORE IN VILNIUS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and diplomats and representatives of Lithuanian authorities visited the recently opened Kropka Belarusian space in Vilnius after it was vandalized. Unknown persons broke the windows in the premises and left a hateful inscription on the walls. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed support for the store’s owner, Dzmitry Furmanau, and the entire Kropka team.
JOB ASSIGNMENTS TO RUSSIA FOR BELARUSIAN GRADUATES
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, commented on the possible mandatory job assignments for Belarusian graduates to Russia. This increases control over Belarusian youth, distances them from Europe, and makes them “human capital” for the Russian economy.
MEMORY OF RAMAN BANDARENKA
The Belarusian leader released a statement on the day Raman Bandarenka could be celebrating his birthday. The Belarusian hero died after being beaten by Lukashenka’s security forces for defending the unofficial “Square of Changes”. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for remembering the people who became symbols of the struggle for Belarus’s freedom. She added that it is impossible to “turn over the page”.
INTERNATIONAL WORK
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, spoke on the results of the political activities of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office over the year. He highlighted the key achievements in international relations and the focus areas. The advisor also outlined further objectives of the International Department’s work.
MEDIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to the following media outlets: EFE (Spanish-language international news agency), Le Devoir (Canada), ABC (Spain), VOA Korea (South Korea), Zerkalo (Belarus), and Voice of America.
