During her working visit to Strasbourg, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attended the World Forum for Democracy – an annual gathering of politicians, scholars, activists, youth representatives, and democracy innovators at the Council of Europe HQ. This forum is more than a platform for discussion as it encourages the European community to take practical action. This year, it focused on the critical threats posed by disinformation in electoral campaigns.
During the event, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya shared her perspective on democracy and called for greater engagement in political activities.
“When the Soviet Union collapsed, Belarus enjoyed three years of freedom and independence, but then the wrong person was elected. Lukashenka dissolved parliament, altered the constitution, shut down all independent media, and told the people, ‘Just live your lives. There are people who know what’s best’. And people just lived their lives, staying uninvolved. Step by step, we lost track of how quickly dictatorship established itself in Belarus…
Now, 30 years later, we have thousands of political prisoners, and repression has forced over half a million people into exile. This is why people must participate in political life and be part of civil society.
Our civil society currently exists primarily in exile. Lukashenka has destroyed independent media and NGOs; his political opponents are either imprisoned or in exile. There’s nothing you can do in Belarus you can be sure won’t get you punished.
The same goes for elections. Not knowing who the next leader will be is a privilege. In January, Lukashenka is planning yet again to declare himself ‘president’ in this staged charade. What is going on in Belarus has nothing to do with a real election”.
