On February 6, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave a welcoming speech at the Conference of Solidarity with Belarus:
“Dear friends,
I want to welcome all Belarusians at home and abroad and all those who decided to support our people in these days of solidarity!
Six months ago, Belarusians went to the polls and voted for changes. The former president lost that election but refused to accept the people's will and began terror against them. This means that he has lost completely. Belarusians will never recognize a power that uses violence and intimidation. The real power in Belarus is its people. Belarusians have proved to themselves and to the whole world that they can decide their own fate. Our goal is to bring freedom and law back to our country. We will definitely reach it, and any obstacles on this path are temporary. Therefore, it is very important to remain as united as possible and express support for each other: inside Belarus and abroad.
Today and tomorrow, solidarity actions with Belarus will be held all over the world. Belarusians and their friends in different countries organize marches, pickets, concerts, marathons, exhibitions, and discussions to show that the diaspora and the international community always remember our country. Words and gestures of support are very important, but they are not enough. There is still a lot that can and should be done to help those currently fighting for freedom in Belarus.
Words are not enough for Ihar Povarau, Aliaksandr Babrou, and Yauhen Hovar, who were sentenced to three years in prison last week for attempting to strike at a Belarusian steel plant. Therefore, we need to stop international companies from cooperating with those Belarusian state-owned enterprises where workers are treated as slaves. The strikers of Belaruskali, Grodno-Azot, and Naftan are now at the forefront of the strike movement, and they need help.
Words are not enough for Artsiom Sarokin, who gave details of the diagnosis of the murdered Raman Bandarenka and is now in jail, as well as other doctors who daily risk their health and save Belarusians in the second wave of coronavirus, while the authorities continue to lie about the number of patients and deaths, and do not prevent the disease from spreading in prisons and isolation centers. It is necessary to ring all the bells so that the scale of this crime becomes clear in the world. Belarusians need the international community's help in times of a pandemic, in particular access to a variety of proven vaccines, and Belarusian doctors need to protect their personal and professional rights.
Words are not enough for independent publishers Gennadii Vinyarski and Andrei Yanushkevich, who are now banned from publishing books in Belarusian, or for four souvenir sellers from Symbal thrown in prison for selling Belarusian national flags. The regime is trying to stifle the free Belarusian culture by force, so Belarusians abroad and the international community need to support it. Over the past six months, Belarusians have created many songs, poems, and performances about their pain and hope. Let's translate them into all possible languages so that the world understands Belarus!
Words are not enough for those who face real terror on a daily basis. These are residents of Novaya Baravaya or Lebyadziny district, who are not allowed to go out safely by the police, and lawyer Siarhei Drazdouski, who was tortured for helping people with disabilities, and ordinary passers-by, who were hunted last Sunday in the center of Minsk. Until the law is restored in Belarus, we need to fully use international law, record all violations, and initiate cases under universal jurisdiction so that no criminal feels untouchable.
Words are not enough for those families who have not seen their loved ones for months. Eduard Palchys and Aliaksandr Vasilevich learned about the birth of their children while in prison. My children have not seen their father, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, for 8 months. And some children will never see their parents again, who were killed by this merciless regime.
Words are not enough, but words are also very valuable. In Belarus, 227 people are now recognized as political prisoners, and in general, more than a thousand have been illegally accused in recent months. They really need words of support. Write them letters, send them postcards! This is not a small thing. Each such letter will be a document of the era, which our heroes will preserve and show to their grandchildren in free Belarus.
That is why we still have a lot to do. To put pressure on the regime, it is necessary to introduce effective sanctions against its “wallets”, security forces, propagandists, those who participated in election fraud, and those who are now illegally judging Belarusians. Criminals should not be allowed to use a nuclear power plant to blackmail neighboring countries with nuclear weapons. Wherever possible, cooperation with State institutions should be abandoned in favor of public initiatives. It is necessary to explain to the whole world that Belarusians will never accept the current regime again and that the only way to solve the crisis is new fair elections. It is important to continue supporting the Belarusian society, especially those that have suffered the most in recent months — doctors, students, teachers, scientists, workers, human rights defenders, volunteers, pensioners, people with disabilities, lawyers. I would especially like to call for the support of independent journalists of Radio Liberty, TUT BY, Nasha Niva, Belsat, and others, as well as human rights activists from Viasna, the Press Club, and Human Constanta.
These words and deeds are very important now. But the main role in the struggle for their freedom is played by the Belarusians themselves in their homeland. And I urge you, despite all the difficulties, not to lose faith in yourself. This summer, our people saw their strength and power and believed in themselves. Now they are going through a difficult but inevitable test. Belarusians write their own history, sometimes with tears and blood, but this is our history, and we write it ourselves. And I'm sure it's a victory story.
Żyvie Biełaruś!”.
