RESTITUTION FOR VICTIMS OF REPRESSIONS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office has partnered with lawyers, human rights defenders, and non-governmental organizations to develop the draft Concept, which will regulate restitution for individuals who have suffered from the regime. The Concept is aimed to restore justice for those who have faced repression and human rights violations during Lukashenka's rule since July 20, 1994. Restitution primarily involves restoring the legal, civil, political, labor, and other rights of those who have suffered from the regime's actions. The key principles of the Concept include the release of victims of repression, the right to compensation and legal assistance, and restoration of property and other rights. The Concept also determines the circle of individuals who will be eligible for rehabilitation.
The draft Concept is available in Russian and Belarusian. Belarusians can share their feedback and proposals through the Telegram bot @AskOffice_Bot, email transitionaljustice@tsikhanouskaya.org, and the Google form.
CONGRESS OF BELARUSIAN STUDIES. The 11th International Congress of Belarusian Studies took place in Gdansk, Poland, on September 22-24. It was attended by representatives of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, including Senior Political Advisor to Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Dabravolski, Advisor for the Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, and Press Secretary of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Anna Krasulinа. The congress included a two-hour panel discussion, during which the draft Constitution of New Belarus and draft laws to supplement it were presented. Representatives of the Office participated in many other discussions during the Congress as well.
TEACHER'S DAY. On October 1, Teacher's Day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Belarusian teachers and congratulated them on their professional holiday: “Being a teacher is about devoting yourself to the cause without expecting anything in return. Some things children's parents say might hurt you. Some students may hold a grudge on you because of low grades. But you still come back to the classrooms every day with a smile and faith in the children. Faith that their generation will grow up to be better than us. Dear teachers! Please, do not give up or lose motivation to work honestly and creatively. I believe it is a great delight for each of you to see students find their path in life and achieve success. But most importantly, each of them grows up to be a good person. Happy Teacher's Day, dear educators!”
On the eve of Teacher's Day in Belarus, the teams of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office and the Hutka.help initiative shared a list of Belarusian teachers who need support. Hutka.help shares the bank details of the repressed, thus giving people the opportunity to support them directly. The names and stories of teachers who need help can be found at the link.
CHORNOBYL CHILDREN PROGRAM. Ministry of Justice in Belarus has submitted a claim to the court to liquidate the Chornobyl Children NGO, which has been helping Belarusian children from the areas most affected by radiation for more than 30 years. The Belarusian leader commented on the possible liquidation: “I used to be a child of Chornobyl myself. In the early 2000s, I participated in this program. When I was in Ireland, I was treated like a family member – with warmth and care. I am confident that in the new Belarus, programs like Chornobyl Children will thrive”.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. On September 25, the birthday of Nobel laureate, head of the Viasna Human Rights Center, Ales Bialiatski, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya congratulated him: “Your entire life, dear Ales, you have fought for the freedom and rights of Belarusians. And now we cannot help but continue your work. Even in captivity, you continue to inspire and support all of us. Because you know better than anyone that winter is always followed by spring. Dear Ales, I wish you strong health and hope to see you reunite with your family and supporters soon”.
BUSINESS FORUM. On September 20, the Association of Belarusian Business Abroad (ABBA) held the 3rd Belarusian Business Forum in Warsaw. It was attended by more than 200 delegates from at least 13 countries, half of them representatives of Belarusian business. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the opening. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya's Advisor on Economic Reforms and one of the organizers of the forum, Aleś Alaсhnovič, talked about the results of the forum.
YOUTH POLICY. Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, met with students of the College of Europe studying the Belarusian context. The meeting focused on the situation in Belarus and problems faced by Belarusian youth, as well as ways to solve them. Ms. Vorykhava talked about the approaches that Belarusian activists and youth organizations use to defend the rights of Belarusians. The College of Europe has previously launched master's programs and scholarships for Belarusians.
ACADEMIA IN EXILE. Tatiana Shchyttsova, Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Education and Science, took part in the panel discussion “Academia in Exile”, which was dedicated to academic freedom in a democratic society and scientists in exile. Ms. Shchyttsova's speech was an opportunity to draw the attention of the international academic community to the situation in Belarus and the situation of Belarusian scientists both inside the country and in exile. You can view the recording of the discussion at the link.
OFFICE VOLUNTEERS. On September 27, volunteers of the Office had a conversation with the co-founder of the Ecohome NGO, Iryna Sukhii. They talked about the environmental issues in Belarus and the activities of Ecohome. A text interview will be released soon.
CONVERSATIONS WITH BELARUSIANS. On Wednesday, September 27, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held personal conversations with Belarusians. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya holds such open Zoom calls every week to discuss issues faced by Belarusians in different towns and cities in Belarus and abroad.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke to Zerkalo (Belarus), BelSAT (Belarus), TV3 Plus (Lithuania) and Malanka (Belarus).
