On August 20, 2021, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya sent letters to the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and the US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen. In her letters, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya urged the IMF and the US government to block the Lukashenka regime’s access to the SDRs, including by freezing their exchange to freely usable currencies until a new, free presidential election is held in Belarus.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya argued the appeal by the fact that these funds, intended for the people, will be used to repress Belarusians. She gave examples of abuse of people, sentences, and detentions on political grounds, the use of COVID as the biological weapon in Belarusian prisons. Leader of democratic Belarus said that the regime's actions only keep exacerbating the already dire economic situation in Belarus, and new money transfers should not help it gain time to hold on to power.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also thanked Senator Robert Menendez, who sent a letter to President Biden with an appeal to block the regime's access to $1 billion from the IMF. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya and Senator Menendez met during her visit to the United States. As a sign of support, the meeting was held in the Senate Hall, where visits from leaders of states are traditionally held. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya negotiated the suspension of the SDR exchange during many of her meetings in the United States.
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