Dear students, professors,
I must apologize for keeping you waiting today. Unfortunately flights don’t always work out the way we had planned. But here we are at last.
Dear Rector Altmann, thank you for inviting me to speak here at MCI before the future Austrian and European business leaders.
If I was told, three years ago, that I would be giving such an address, I would think I was in a dream… Or a nightmare… I was very afraid of public speaking back then.
If someone told me that I would be meeting Alexander Van der Bellen, Chancellor Scholz, even Rector Altmann, I would think their imagination is too active.
For my short and accidental political career, I finally learned how to speak to president Van Der Bellen, but speaking to students still makes me very nervous.
I also learned that life is unpredictable. And you never know what it has prepared for you. Sometimes, it puts you in such circumstances that even the best schools, like MCI, can’t prepare you for.
In such circumstances you have to trust your instincts, your inner moral compass, and those around you.
In the last 3 years, I often felt lost or intimidated. Sometimes, my compass had trouble finding its North. But in the moments of highest stress, I learned one important thing that I want to share with you today.
It’s family what helps you to survive the harshest moments of your life. It’s family what helps you weather the storm.
In my life, I have done everything out of love for my family. I supported my husband in his business. When my son was born with a hearing problem, I quit my job to become a full-time mom. I spent years trying to help and train with him. I did not know if it would work out, I was just doing what I had to do.
Love for my family brought me where I am today, to politics. In 2020 my husband took the brave step of becoming a popular blogger. He travelled around the country to reveal the real situation of Belarusians. He talked to common people about their problems. He openly criticized the dictatorship. I thought it was risky. But I still supported my family. What he cared about, I cared about too.
When he announced that he would run for president, he was immediately arrested by the KGB. Even before he could register as a candidate. He just wanted a better life for our country. He just wanted our family to live in freedom.
When he was detained, I decided to run in his place. And I did it out of love for my husband.
To my big surprise I was allowed to register as a candidate. Maybe Lukashenka didn’t take me seriously. It was a joke for him. He said that our constitution “was not for women” and that a woman can not be the president. He really believed it too.
We proved him wrong. It took us 15 minutes to unite opposition forces with me as the candidate. We showed Belarusians an alternative to the dictator. Our movement for change spread like a wildfire across the country. Thousands came to our rallies, even as the dictator tried to disrupt the meetings.
We campaigned for freedom, for democracy and for the dignity of every human being.
Suddenly, I realized that my family now is not only my husband and children. Now it’s nine million Belarusians. And in families, people take care of each other. It was the moment of incredible solidarity and self-organization. Our society was united as never before.
When election day came, on August 9, everyone could see that the dictator was losing. We won a clear victory. But he wouldn’t accept defeat. He ordered ballots destroyed and declared himself a winner. He stole our votes.
Yet Belarusians didn’t accept the fraudulent elections. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets. They decided to defend their victory – our victory. Lukashenka got scared, he was on the brink of losing power – the only thing he cared about.
He unleashed the most brutal terror against Belarusians since Stalin’s times. The police were shooting harmless people. Many got arrested. More than 60,000 went through detention. Dozens were killed on the streets by the police. Tortured. Beaten in prisons.
The regime’s cronies brought me to a room and told me clearly: either I leave the country now, or I will never see my children again. It was not actually a choice. They brought me to the border with Lithuania, hoping that it would end the protests. But protests did not stop, and the resistance that started back then continues to this day.
And I continued my work for Belarusians, to represent them, give them voice and support. Because they trusted me, and I couldn’t fail them. We were family already, remember?
Therefore, every arrest and every detention, every new political prisoner is also my personal pain. Today, thousands of people are held hostages under the most inhuman conditions.
Among them is my husband Siarhei, whom I have not seen for three and half years already. I don’t really know if he is alive at all.
Among them – Darya Losik, who, like me, could not fail her imprisoned husband, Ihar, a famous Belarusian journalist. For two years, she was struggling for his release. In the end, they arrested her, too. Today, when she is asked in prison, what’s her status, she always responds: I am a political prisoner’s wife. Yesterday was exactly one year since she was arrested.
Among them – Palina Sharenda Panasiuk, mother of two. The regime put her in prison and tried to deprive her of parents rights. At the quick meeting with her husband Andrei in the prison colony, she gave him a sign that he has to flee and save children. He didn’t want to, but he had to. He crossed the border through the forest. Kids are missing their mum, but they are safe. Andrei tirelessly campaigns for her release, while the regime continues torturing her.
But neither torture, imprisonment, nor an attempt to put her in a mental ward have broken her. Because – she has a family behind her.
Having family behind you gives you resilience and extra power. This is what allows me to keep going through these horrible three years. At the meetings, I always bear the folder with the portrait of my husband Siarhei. In the moments of despair, it reminds me why I am doing all this. And I don’t have a right to stop until he and all political prisoners are free.
Recently one of the political prisoners was released after serving his three year term. And he said that during these hardships, he managed to survive only because he knew that his family was safe and supported.
When the Russian war started many Belarusians went to fight for Ukraine. Because they understand that the fates of our countries are intertwined. And fighting for Ukraine, they also fight for Belarus. Many of them died in battles, including Pavel “Volat”. After his death, his mother, Natallia Suslava, a university teacher from Homel, went to Ukraine and became a caring mother to his brothers in arms. They became a family for her.
At every meeting with the diaspora, at every zoom-call with Belarusians inside the country, I have this family feeling. We may have different backgrounds, professions, age and gender. But common cause and care about each other give us strength to continue. And this is something that the regime doesn’t have, and tries to deprive us of.
Dear friends, family is where you belong.
Looking for someone to support us in our struggle for freedom, we Belarusians rediscovered our European family. During our uprising, we realized that Europe is where we belonged, and where we want to return.
For two centuries, we’ve been dragged into an abusive relationship with Russia. First, in the Russian Empire, then in the Soviet Union, now in Lukashenka-Putin’s axis.
In this relationship we almost lost our identity, and our nation. Russia continues doing it right now – by dragging our nation into its criminal aggression against Ukraine.
But we are different. And our values differ. Russia doesn’t see either Belarus or Ukraine as independent countries.
After 2020, it was Europe that stood up for free Belarus. Europe provided a safe refuge for thousands of Belarusians fleeing repressions. We will never forget how warmly you welcomed us.
All this time, Europe has been a beacon of hope, a symbol of democracy, freedom, and human rights. Our shared values are mightier than any force that seeks to divide us. This understanding is the essence of European unity. It makes us truly one family.
What does Europe stand for in the world? The power of Europe lies not just in its economic might or military prowess. It also lies in its moral authority, its commitment to universal values. That authority is questioned every time when democracy is under threat.
What we saw in Poland last weekend was truly remarkable. The peaceful transition of power through elections. This is something that we in Belarus can only dream about. Cherish and protect your democracy. You can't even imagine what a miracle you have.
What happens in Belarus is a testament to the state of democracy and freedom worldwide. If Europe does not take a stand, if Europe does not act, then who will? Europe’s position in the world is pivotal in the fight for democracy.
Your universities, your institutions, your debates and discussions, your activism – all these are vital in shaping a world that believes in the power of dialogue, in the strength of democracy, and in the dignity of every human being.
The youth plays a crucial role. It is you, the students, the young leaders of today and tomorrow, who carry forward the torch of change.
We have seen, time and again, how young people have risen against tyrants, dictators, and oppressors.
The protests in Belarus were driven by the energy of the youth. The same energy drove the Arab Spring, the protests in Hong Kong, in Iran and countless other movements worldwide.
Your voice matters. Your actions matter.
To ensure its place in the world, Europe needs to be united and strong. Not just in economic terms, but in its resolve to protect and promote freedom and democracy. Europe needs to remain a beacon, a force for good, an example that other nations can follow.
It’s also a call to action for universities and other educational institutions. They are not just places for acquiring knowledge. What you teach, the values you instill, the leaders you produce: they all play a role in shaping the future. Let the universities be the breeding grounds for ideas, innovation, and change.
I urge you to be active and engaged. To challenge and to drive change. Support democracy not just with words, but with actions. Engage in discussions, participate in protests, volunteer, vote. Ensure that your voice is heard.
Dear friends,
The only thing I have to tell you, as future leaders, is that when your family grows, it becomes stronger.
The more you welcome others into your care, the stronger you become yourself. So look for opportunities to care, just like Belarusians cared about each other.
This is your moment. You are the future of Europe and the world. And you will decide the fate of nations and generations to come.
Right now, the fight for freedom in Belarus and Ukraine is a reminder of the privilege of peace. It’s a call to ensure that Europe does not take peace and democracy for granted. We need to stand together, as a family, in our fight against oppression and tyranny.
And remember, even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.
Desmond Tutu, a South African bishop who inspired the anti-apartheid struggle, said that “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
Looking at you today, I see a lot of light. And I feel a lot of hope.
Thank you for caring for Belarus, dear friends.
My dream and my plan is that we're building a new apartment for our Belarusian family. But it is just a single apartment, in one large house that is Europe. And we're all together responsible for it. You are responsible for your own part as well. But only together we can make this house of Europe our home.
Thank you very much. Long live Belarus.
