Today, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is on a visit to Berlin to take part in the World Forum on the Future of Democracy, Tech, and Humankind.
She spoke alongside prominent global leaders and human rights defenders during the international workshop “Women’s Progress Dialogue”, dedicated to advancing gender equality and supporting women’s political participation.
Former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, opened the session. Speakers also included:
- Dalia Grybauskaitė, former President of Lithuania;
- Aleqa Hammond, Greenland’s first female Prime Minister;
- Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice;
- Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni journalist and human rights defender, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The discussion was moderated by Chief BBC News Presenter Kasia Madera.
In her remarks, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reminded the audience about political prisoners in Belarus and recalled the story of Maria Zaitseva, a Belarusian volunteer fighter who was killed on the front line in Ukraine at the age of 24.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “More than 170 women in Belarus remain politically imprisoned. Many of them stood in white coats with flowers in the streets in 2020. Others were arrested for protesting the war in 2022. In prison, they face discrimination, ill-treatment, beatings, and torture. They have fewer rights than ordinary inmates. This must stop.
I truly hope that our global women’s solidarity will help secure their release. Solidarity among women is more than kindness – it is power. It is our strategy. It is how we endure”.
Following the meeting, possible international support measures were discussed, ranging from strengthening assistance to independent media and civil society in at-risk countries to imposing sanctions on individuals responsible for policies of gender-based repression. The participants also discussed how to increase women’s participation in politics.
