Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Work in Belarus too often goes hand in hand with fear — fear of contract dependence, dismissal for one’s views, punishment for an election candidate endorsement, a comment, or a donation to charity. But a person should not have to choose between bread and conscience. Work should not make people obedient — it should give them confidence in tomorrow.
The state must protect the right to work, not turn it into a tool of control. Labor rights begin where there are trade unions that truly defend people, rather than sign whatever is handed down from above. The regime destroyed them so that people would be left without choice or voice. But without a worker’s voice, there is no respect for work.
With the same ease, the regime takes away freedom. Our political prisoners are workers, doctors, journalists, entrepreneurs, and students. Many of them are forced to work in detention — under surveillance, punished for any ‘disobedience’, and expected to meet quotas even when they lack the strength or health. We must remember them and support their families.
Belarusians often do the everyday work that goes unnoticed. Parents raise children. Volunteers care for the elderly and the sick. Activists support former political prisoners. And every skill gained in forced exile, every new job, every business preserved is a contribution to our return home and the rebuilding of our country.
The strength, hard work, and dignity of our people are the true face of Belarus”.
