Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is on a visit to Italy, where today, December 9, the opening of a shelter for political refugees from Belarus and their families took place. The shelter is already home to several repressed Belarusians, including a former volunteer of the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment fighting in Ukraine.
The Belarusian Democratic Community Center in Italy also opened during the visit. It will be headed by Yuliya Yukhno, who represents the People’s Embassies and the Talaka Association.
The opening of both the shelter and the Community Center became possible thanks to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s previous visits to Italy, as well as the work of Yuliya Yukhno and the Belarusian diaspora.
In addition to Belarusians, the opening ceremony was attended by politicians and representatives of trade unions, and political parties, including the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno; the Representative of the Italian Economic, Trade, and Cultural Promotion Office, Marco Lombardi; the Chair of the Sesto Fiorentino City Council, Serena Sassolini; the President of the Regional Council of Tuscany, Stefania Saccardi; and others.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the audience and highlighted the tireless work of the Belarusian diaspora in Italy: “The Belarusian Democratic Community Center in Florence is our first platform in Italy, but I hope not the last. I am deeply grateful to Yuliya Yukhno, her team, and the volunteers – their effort and determination made all of this possible. The Center will host cultural, educational, and political events related to Belarus.
With the support of our Italian partners, you, my dears, are doing an incredible amount of work. You have organized exhibitions dedicated to political prisoners in Belarus. You have held exhibitions of Belarusian artists, concerts, political discussions, and seminars. You have arranged rehabilitation and summer activities for the children of political prisoners and their families.
I hope that all these initiatives will continue, that Italians will learn more about Belarusians thanks to this Center, and that cooperation between the Belarusian diaspora, local authorities, and NGOs will deepen”.
