Dear Belarusians,
Welcome to the New Belarus Conference!
Six years ago, something happened that changed our country — and each of us.
That August, August 2020, still resonates with pain in me. Pain mixed with inspiration.
On this day, six years ago, when I was leaving home to vote, as always, there were many officers in plain clothes keeping watch outside our home.
Siarhei was already in prison, as were many members of our united campaign headquarters. And I was mentally preparing myself for the worst.
It felt like I had somehow ended up in a crazy movie. Like all of this was happening to someone else, not me.
To be honest, I was not prepared for what happened next. For the terror. For the violence. For forced exile.
But who among us was?
I did not have a plan like Viktar Babaryka. I did not have the courage of Mikalai Statkevich. I did not have the experience of Ales Bialiatski. And I certainly did not have the charisma of my husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski or Pavel Seviarynets.
I often did not even have anyone to turn to for advice. For the most part, I simply did what my intuition and my heart told me to do.
And perhaps I would not have been able to endure it if not for what happened on August 9 and in the days and weeks that followed.
When the actual results from the polling stations began to come in. The numbers from Golas. When hundreds of thousands of Belarusians gathered by the obelisk with white-red-white flags. The workers who booed Lukashenka at the MZKT plant.
An incredible sense of unity replaced the feeling of loneliness and hopelessness. Of strength. And of pride in our country.
I know that many today suggest that we forget 2020. Turn over the page. Move on as if nothing had happened.
But how can we forget it?
That was the moment when our nation awoke. When we realized our strength. And became different.
Yes, we did not win then.
But we cannot say that we lost, either.
2020 set in motion processes that cannot be reversed.
And for the regime, it became a trauma from which it still cannot recover.
It is desperately trying to erase the memory of 2020. To throw those it considers disloyal in exile. To intimidate everyone else. To crush everything alive beneath the asphalt.
But here is the problem.
What is Belarusian, free, and independent keeps growing back anyway. Some things grow in exile. Some things inside the country. Sometimes quietly, in ways that cannot be reported in the press.
We Belarusians have a superpower: surviving under the most difficult conditions.
It is that Belarusian partisan spirit.
When necessary, we know how to lie low. And when the moment comes, we know how to show ourselves in a way that amazes the whole world.
And I am certain that when a new opportunity arises, we will show ourselves again.
Over the past few years, we have learned a great deal.
We have learned self-organization and discipline.
Solidarity and mutual support.
We have learned how to build structures. Find allies. Conduct diplomatic work. Create world-class media and cultural projects — without resources and without a state behind us.
We have learned to help political prisoners and their families, and to save people in the most desperate situations.
And even from abroad, we continue to influence what is happening inside the country.
With very little space for political work, we make the most of every inch of it.
Thanks to this work, the world now knows two simple things:
Belarusians are not the regime.
And Belarus is not Russia.
And we truly have a lot to be proud of.
Every one of you has a lot to be proud of.
So today, as I open the New Belarus Conference, I first and foremost want to say to you: thank you.
Thank you for not giving up.
For continuing.
I am sure each of you has had a million reasons to say: That’s it. Enough. I need to focus on myself. My family. My work. On living a normal life.
But you are here.
And that already says a lot.
Dear friends,
Over the past year, a new dynamic has emerged around Belarus.
And things that seemed impossible only recently have become reality.
Who could have imagined a year or two ago that we would see Pavel Seviarynets, Katsiaryna Andreyeva, Ales Bialiatski, or Viktar Babaryka among us?
Dear friends, we waited so long to see you free!
Please, let us welcome all the former political prisoners who are here in this room today.
And who could have imagined that Ukraine’s position would change so suddenly? That President Zelenskyy would receive our delegation in Kyiv and congratulate Belarusians on Freedom Day in Belarusian?
Who could have imagined that an investigation into the regime’s crimes would be launched in The Hague — and that Lukashenka would face a real prospect of an arrest warrant?
None of this happened by itself.
All of this is the result of our work together. The work of human rights defenders, journalists, politicians, activists, volunteers, and, of course, our friends abroad.
And I am certain: we can achieve even more.
We can secure the release of all political prisoners.
Not so that new hostages simply replace those who are released, but so that we can break the vicious cycle of repression itself.
We can preserve Belarusian agency, language, culture, and identity — even amid Russification, the loss of sovereignty, and what is effectively a hybrid occupation.
We can prevent Belarus from being fully drawn into the war, no matter how hard Russia tries, because we know that Belarusians oppose this war, and that the majority stand with Ukraine.
And ultimately, we can help create a new window of opportunity — and be ready to seize it.
Because change in Belarus is a matter of time.
No matter how much Lukashenka is photoshopped for state media, his time is inevitably running out.
Whether it is for natural reasons, a split within the system, or something none of us can foresee today — we do not know.
But we need to start thinking now about what post-Lukashenka Belarus will look like.
How do we prevent chaos? How do we restore the rule of law and a sense of security? How do we hold free elections? How do we free Belarus from Russian control and bring it back into the European family?
We will talk about all of this today and tomorrow at the New Belarus Conference.
But not only about high politics.
We will also talk about the things Belarusians face every day: legal status, visas, social support, and mobility. About culture, education, and media.
About how to support people today, not only in the Belarus of the future.
Nearly 300 people are taking part in the conference. I know many more are watching us online.
And I would like to address Belarusians inside the country.
We may be on different sides of the border, but we have one Belarus.
Do not lose faith. Help one another. Maintain your connections. And look for safe ways to participate.
Even something as simple as starting to speak Belarusian at home, with your children, is an act in itself today.
And to Belarusians abroad, I ask you to be active and visible.
Sometimes I speak with politicians — even here, in Poland — about legal status, documents, and support for Belarusians. And I often hear: Belarusians abroad are simply not visible.
So let us make sure we are seen.
If it is safe for you, I encourage you: organize. Take part in rallies and actions. Talk to politicians. Support Belarusian initiatives.
People help us when they know us, see us, and trust us.
And to our foreign guests, partners, and diplomats:
Thank you for being with us today. For giving Belarus your time, attention, and resources.
For distinguishing the Belarusian people from the regime. For supporting our media, human rights defenders, civil society, cultural and political structures.
We deeply appreciate it. And we will never forget it.
Dear friends,
I very much want us to carry one thing with us from 2020 into 2026.
That incredible feeling of unity.
It made us strong.
Support one another. Especially those who have just been released from prison. Those who have found themselves in exile. Those who are starting their lives from scratch.
And one more thing — notice the good things.
Thank people for their work.
Do not be afraid to tell the person next to you: “You are doing a great job. What you are doing matters”.
Because sometimes a kind word can inspire someone more than a hundred strategies ever could.
I am confident that together, we can achieve anything and overcome every challenge.
Long Live Belarus!
