Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya joined the panel discussion “Democratic Resilience in the Face of Global Disruption” online at the Chatham House London Conference 2025, hosted by one of the world’s leading think tanks on international affairs.
In her remarks, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya outlined three major threats to today’s democracy:
- Impunity. Without accountability, dictators become bolder, and repression intensifies. This sets a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes. That is why we must support Lithuania’s referrals to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court to bring Lukashenka to justice.
- Disinformation. In Belarus, truth is banned: journalists are jailed, words are criminalized, and people receive real prison terms for social media posts.
- Fatigue. The democratic world is growing tired of the long struggle. Authoritarian regimes count on this exhaustion.
“What unites dictators is their disbelief in values. They believe only in power and their own interests. That’s why Europe must constantly remind the world what makes it strong – values: human rights, the rule of law, and democracy.
Dictators want to destroy the very idea that people can govern themselves. They exploit crises – wars, pandemics, migration – to consolidate their power. They feed on chaos. They rejoice when democracies appear weak or divided.
To defend democracy, we need three things: unity, consistency, and courage. Democracy must not only inspire – it must show strength.
And let us never forget the power of the people. When we speak of security, we must remember that military strength is meaningless without people ready to defend their values”.
