On June 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was awarded the International King Eric of Pomerania Award, during the ceremony in Darłowo, Poland.
The award was established in 2023 by the City of Darłowo and the King Eric of Pomerania Foundation. It is presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of democracy, peace, European unity, and cooperation between nations.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya received the award for her efforts to promote democratic change in Belarus and strengthen the country’s ties with the European community. She dedicated the award to Belarusians who continue to fight for freedom:
“Although my name is written on the diploma, I want to dedicate this award to the thousands of Belarusians who continue to fight for freedom despite fear, repression, and exile.
Some resist underground. Some help us with information. Some support political prisoners and their families. Some fight for Ukraine. Some promote the Belarusian language and culture — and today, that too is a form of resistance.
Sometimes life does not ask whether we are ready for this. It simply gives us a choice: accept injustice or stand up against it.
All dictatorships eventually collapse — and usually when no one expects it. We do not know when or how, but we must be ready.
Today, a free Belarus may seem like an unattainable dream. To some, it may even seem impossible. But many things seem impossible until they happen”.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also called on the international community to continue supporting Ukraine and a free Belarus, not to yield to dictators’ blackmail, and to maintain pressure on the Lukashenka regime until all political prisoners are released, repression ends, and Belarus ceases to be an accomplice in Russia’s war.
