“Dear Keir Starmer,
Dear Conference,
I have come here to tell you how I feel at such an important moment in our world’s history.
I am happy to be with you here today.
I am happy that I am not in a torture chamber like so many of my friends.
I am happy that my kids are with me and not in an orphanage.
But I am not happy that my husband is still in prison, and have no idea how he is.
I am not happy that so many families in Belarus are being harmed. That so many of my people are victims of such horror.
I am not happy that I can’t go back home, to my beloved Belarus, which has lost its freedom and independence.
Some of you might not know this, but two years ago, I was an ordinary housewife, raising two wonderful children and I had no interest in politics. The very thought of going on a stage like this was a nightmare for me.
Then my husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, stood up against the brutal Dictator who has dominated our country for 27 years. Siarhei said: “I will challenge the president”. The Dictator responded: “No, You will not”. Siarhei was locked up.
My children, whom I now only see at weekends, ask me when their Dad will come home. I still don’t know how to explain that their dad has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
To support my husband, I decided to put my name on the ballot for president. Two other amazing women joined me.
Surprisingly, the dictator accepted my candidacy. He let me stand as a joke. “No one will ever vote for a woman”, He said. But guess what? I won. Democracy won. Obviously, the dictator refused to accept the result and hundreds of thousands took to the streets.
The next morning they called me up, and said that I had lost. And if i did not leave the country immediately, I would never see my children again.
They thought that they would just get rid of me, and the movement for freedom would die. Instead, every week for months and months, more and more people took to the streets.
Under the pressure of such massive protests, the dictatorship nearly did collapse, but Putin came in to save him. They drowned the protests in violence and terror.
As I am speaking today, 1350 political prisoners are behind bars, and this number is growing every day. More than 50,000 thousand people have been detained, many tortured by KGB.
I had thousands of moments when I was ready to give up. To stop my fight. But every morning I wake up, and keep fighting. I don’t know when our loved ones will be free, but I know that every day we are one step closer to that moment.
One of those who inspires me to continue fighting is Andrey Aliaksandrau. He is a journalist. For doing his job, he was accused of high treason. Andrey is also a big fan of Liverpool Football Club. People who shared a cell with him have told me that every day Andrey sings – “You’ll never walk alone”.
In his letters from prison, he puts these lines from Liverpool’s anthem:
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone.
On our path to freedom, and democracy, we never walked alone. You can’t imagine how much support we have received from all over the world.
After events in Belarus in 2020 and in Ukraine in February 2022, the world woke up to what tyranny really means, and understood why it has to be defeated.
The world now understands that human rights and the defence of freedom is not a local issue and that true democracies must stand together to defend each other.
Our fates are intertwined. A threat to democracy in one country is a threat to the whole world. Without victory in Ukraine a free Belarus is not possible. And without a free Belarus there can be no lasting peace in Europe.
When you hear the word Belarus, you might think of a country which helps Putin in this war. But I think about brave partisans who stop Russian military equipment. I think about Belarusian military volunteers, who are fighting in Ukraine. They understand that victory in Ukraine will lead to lasting change in Belarus.
Dear Conference,
Today we face the most dangerous moment in our history, but there is hope.
At this moment everything we stand for, everything we believe in, can be destroyed. Democracy. Freedom. Justice.
On the other hand, this moment gives Belarus the opportunity to turn the tide, and make our country part of the European family.
But It must be the result of coordinated action.
Putin must be defeated. Putin will be defeated. Lukashenka must be defeated. Lukashenka will be defeated.
I did not come here today to lecture you. I came here today to thank you.
Because Britain understands our fight. The very first people expelled by the regime were two female British diplomats.
It was the UK who immediately reacted to the political crisis in Belarus. It has introduced and tightened sanctions on the regime.
It was the UK who immediately launched the program of assistance to the media, civil society, and supported us in the OSCE and United Nations, in the G7 and the Council of Europe.
British parliamentarians adopted the cause of political prisoners, including Lord George Faulks and Sir Tony Lloyd, the Chairperson of the All party parliamentary Group for Belarus. I am aware that Tony is unable to be here today, and send him my best wishes on behalf of free Belarus.
And of course, I must mention the UK’s role in supporting the fight of Ukraine. It has become an example and inspiration to many others.
The UK must continue to lead the global fight against tyranny and oppression. People all around the world look to you for strength. We are together on the frontline in the fight for democracy.
And let me assure you – we will not stop. Belarusians will not stop. Until all political prisoners are released. Until every Russian soldier leaves our country. Until we hold trials for crimes against humanity. Until we get our country back.
I will never rest until my children, all children, can live in a country free from fear, tyranny and war.
I came here to say that we need you, and we need each other.
This is not an easy fight but thanks to you, thanks to your passion, thanks to your continued support – I know that we all will win”.
