On April 7, a discussion will take place in Prague on the role of female leadership in the fight against authoritarian regimes in Belarus and Venezuela.
The discussion will cover the 2025–2026 geopolitical landscape, including the United States’ active role in diplomatic negotiations that secured the release of political prisoners, as well as US actions supporting democratic transitions in Eastern Europe and the Western Hemisphere.
Participants will discuss the scale of repression endured by Belarus and Venezuela and the experience of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and María Corina Machado in promoting democracy.
Opening remarks by:
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President-elect of Belarus (online);
- Kryścina Šyjanok, Director of the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic;
- Jan Darmovzal, former political prisoner in Venezuela.
Panelists:
- Lizaveta Zhuchkova, political scientist, niece of a released political prisoner;
- Felipe Torres Gianvittorio, Venezuelan journalist, LatAm Explained;
- Luis Solano, author of the thesis “Impact of Chavez’s Misiones in the Venezuelan economic crisis”;
- Veronika Bílková, Head of the Centre for International Law at the Institute of International Relations (Czech Republic), member of the Venice Commission.
📅 Date and time: April 7, 2026, 17:30—19:00
📍 Venue: Anglo-American University, Letenská 120/5, Prague 1
Entry by invitation only. To request one, please email czechia.office@tsikhanouskaya.org.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1224868773163430
