On September 29, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a speech at the Second EU Parliamentary Democracy Forum in Brussels, organized by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola with the support of Vice-Presidents Katarina Barley and Esteban González Pons.
The forum brought together representatives of the European Endowment for Democracy, the Council of Europe, International IDEA, the European Partnership for Democracy, Civil Society Europe, ALDA, the European Movement International, FEPS, and other organizations.
Read Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s speech below.
«Dear friends,
Exactly six years ago, I entered this building for the first time. I still remember the feeling: I was trembling.
Back then, I was a political newbie, thrown into the deep waters of politics.
I had no political experience. My decision to run against a dictator was spontaneous. Sometimes life doesn’t ask whether you are ready or not. You simply do what you feel is right.
We had just won the election, but as often happens in dictatorships, the dictator refused to step down and unleashed brutal terror against his own people. People were beaten, shot, killed, and imprisoned.
Hundreds of thousands were peacefully protesting in the streets. But we quickly understood that our forces were not equal. We needed international support.
And the very first places I came was the European Parliament.
Because I knew that here, in the heart of European democracy, I would find allies. And many of them became real friends.
Here, I did not have to explain why democracy matters, or why our fight matters. Many European nations — Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Greeks, Spaniards, Portuguese — have their own experience of living under dictatorship.
The European Parliament immediately supported our democratic movement and formalised relationship with democratic Belarus, not illegitimate regime.
President David Sassoli, and then Roberta Metsola, visited me in Vilnius, where we just started to form the government-in-exile.
Following the European Parliament’s example, national parliaments — German, Italian, Irish, Swedish, French, and others — supported us as well, making statements, adopting political prisoners, and pushing governments to take action — by imposing sanctions. Twenty four parliaments across entire Europe created groups for democratic Belarus.
I have seen the real power of parliamentary democracy.
When change comes to Belarus — and I know it will — one of our first tasks will be to restore the real power and meaning of parliament. Parliament must serve the people, not the regime.
Moreover, strong parliamentary democracy is one of the best antidotes to dictatorship.
In a dictatorship, they want people to stay silent, obedient, and loyal. They want people to stay away from politics. From school, they teach you: don’t stand out. Be like everyone else.
Politics is not your business. This is what keeps dictatorship alive.
This is what helped Lukashenka come to power 30 years ago and survive for so long — when people don’t participate in politics and don’t ask questions. So the dictator can create a false illusion of stability and peace.
For many years, I was like that too. Like many, I was trying to avoid politics. But in the end, politics not only came into my home, but it almost destroyed the country and dragged it into the war.
Dictators who do not respect their own people will not respect their neighbours either.
So today, I want to address especially the young people in this room. If you want to protect your freedom and democracy — stand out. Speak out. Participate. Run for parliament. Don’t let anyone to steal your voice.
Never take democracy for granted. Democracy must be cherished, it must be defended every single day. And this is the task not only of governments, but of people, civil society, businesses. Don’t let populism and authoritarian leaders kill your democracy from within.
Democracies don’t need a “strong hand”. We need smart heads, strong institutions, and responsible citizens.
Protect freedom at home, but also help those who fight for it every single day. The fate of democracy is being decided today in Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, but first of all in Ukraine.
Ukraine is paying the highest price — with human lives — defending the very future of Europe and future of democracy. I strongly believe that Ukraine’s success will also open a window of opportunity for my beloved Belarus.
And I know that sometimes there is a temptation to make a deal with dictators — Putin, Lukashenka, you name it. But dictators interpret weakness as an invitation. We should have no illusions. Dictators understand the language of power. And democracies must be ready to show their teeth, too.
We must keep sanctions on Russia and Lukashenka. But at the same time — strengthen societies. Military power alone is not enough. You need people ready to defend their values.
That is why the European Democracy Shield matters. Europe has recognised the threats — foreign interference, disinformation, attacks on elections and democratic institutions.
Now we need action, not only concern.
We Belarusians are ready to contribute. We have decades of experience resisting dictatorship, propaganda, and Russian interference. This experience can be useful for Europe.
Because more democracy — at home and in our neighbourhood — means more security for Europe.
And the stronger and more resilient our democracies are, the less space dictators have to exploit our weaknesses.
Dear friends,
Dictatorships can look stable until the very moment they begin to crumble. And that moment often comes when no one expects it. But we must be ready.
Thank you to all the organisers, international guests, and civil society representatives who came here today. And thank you to parliamentarians from across Europe, represented here by Speaker Verona Murphy, who continue to stand for democratic institutions and human rights.
My special thanks go to President Roberta Metsola, Vice-Presidents Katarina Barley and Esteban González Pons, and Director-General Sanna Lepola, and her brilliant team — for convening this Forum and for giving democracy defenders a place at this table.
We are here today not to stay silent.
We are here to speak out. To stand out. To defend our democracy.
And one message should be very clear: we will not give up.
Long live Europe.
Slava Ukraini.
And Zhyvie Belarus!»
