“Dear Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck,
Dear Minister Annalena Baerbock,
Dear Ricarda Lang, Omid Nouripour, Dear Britta Hasselmann and Katharina Dröge,
Liebe Freunde,
It’s an honor and a privilege to address you today. Though I feel nervous to speak before such a distinguished crowd, I know that I am among friends.
Friends who share the same values and the same vision of a democratic, prosperous, and sustainable Europe. I want to thank the Greens for the invitation to be here with you.
Since 2020, when the peaceful revolution in Belarus started, the German Greens were among the first who supported us.
I remember my first meetings with Greens in Bundestag, when Claudia Roth gave me a tour around the Reichstag Dome. Then we made the photo with portraits of my dear Maria Kalesnikava and other political prisoners.
And you know what impressed me the most? No, not the Dome! But powerful women from German Green party. I thought, maybe one day, we’ll have the same in Belarus: when women hold real positions of leadership and are not just a facade.
I remember speaking at the Greens Congress in 2021. One delegate approached me and said that during our protests she put the Belarusian white-red-white flag on her balcony. She said that she was born in GDR, and Belarus reminds her of the German fight for freedom.
I remember meeting Annalena and Robert, they promised me that Belarus will always be on Greens agenda. And they kept their word! A few months later, commitment to democratic Belarus was included in the Government coalition agreement.
With the help of Greens, the Group for Democratic Belarus was formed in Bundestag. It includes both coalition and opposition parties. I am happy that the Belarus topic unites across political divisions. We have such groups in 23 parliaments already, and the German one is the biggest.
I remember the enthusiasm of Robin Wagener who was appointed the special representative for democratic forces of Belarus. His first title was “for contacts with Belarus opposition”. I argued, “But we are not opposition, we won elections!”. Since then, the German Bundestag never calls us opposition. Thank you!
Robin and fifty others from the Green party became godparents to Belarusian political prisoners. Robin took sponsorship for imprisoned journalist Ihar Losik and his wife Darya. Darya was locked up just because she raised her voice against the arrest of her husband. Now, the regime threatens to take away their 5-year old daughter Paulina.
Sergei Lagodinsky adopted Maksim Znak, the lawyer who defended Maria Kalesnikava. He was sentenced to 10 years. In one of his letters he wrote, “If love is worth waiting for, then freedom is worth sitting in prison for”. Earlier this year, we lost any communication with him.
Terry Reintke adopted Volha Zalatar, mother of five small children. She was beaten and sentenced to 4 years of prison. What is her crime? She was an independent observer at the elections and recorded that the dictator lost. During the protests, with her neighbors, she organized a small protest community, drinking tea, discussing politics. The regime treated her as a dangerous criminal. Her children have not seen their mother for almost three years already.
My children did not see their father since 2020. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Sometimes, we watch his YouTube channel together, so that they don’t forget his voice and face.
I haven’t received any information about him since March. Only rumors that he is dead. My daughter kept asking me, Mom, when will daddy come home? She is writing him letters and never receives any responce. And there are thousands of children like this in Belarus.
My husband Siarhei, like Maria Kalesnikava, is held in incommunicado mode. That’s another form of torture. No letters, no calls, no contact with lawyers are allowed. A year ago, Maria passed through complicated surgery in prison, and her parents are desperately looking for her whereabouts.
KGB prisons are not different from the Stasi’s dark cells. We know it from chilling stories of those who already served their terms. People are broken mentally and physically. They need medical help and rehabilitation.
I am eternally grateful to the German MFA and “Libereco” which already provided such assistance to hundreds of political prisoners. However, thousands of other victims will need such help soon.
For Germany, the Wall is a piece of history. For Belarusians this oppression is reality. People are desperately trying to flee this terror, sometimes risking their lives. Germany kindly accepted thousands of Belarusians.
However, even in exile they become targets of repression. The regime submits their names to Interpol. Takes their families at home as hostages. The recent decree of the dictator deprives Belarusian exiles of passports and documents, making them de-facto stateless.
This is why the adoption of the Bundestag resolution on Belarus put forward by Greens together with FDP and SPD two weeks ago is so crucial. I hope it will simplify legalization procedures for Belarusians in Germany. But it also sends a very clear message to Belarusians: you are not alone. We are in this fight together.
Dear friends,
We all hoped our victory would come faster. Now we realize that it’s not a sprint, it is a marathon.
Today, it’s not just our freedom, but the very existence of my nation is under threat.
In exchange for political support, the dictator is selling our country to Russia. Piece by piece. He allowed Russia to deploy its troops and nuclear weapons on our territory. They erase our national identity, language, and destroy civil society.
Russia doesn’t see either Ukraine or Belarus as independent countries. For Russia, we are just colonies that must be returned. It tries to revive empire by any cost. But who pays this cost? People. Belarusians. Ukrainians.
Today we mark the Holodomor Memorial Day. It reminds us about genocide that Russia created 90 years ago. Therefore, we must stand together to make sure that these horrors are never repeated.
Help us to wrest Belarus from Russian claws and bring Belarus to Europe. The European future is a necessity for us, not just an option. If Belarus is to survive as an independent country, the European Union is the only viable solution.
We understand that Europe it’s not just about opportunities. It’s about commitment. Our vision for Belarus is deeply aligned with the Green ideals. We envision a Belarus that is not only free from dictatorship but also a Belarus that thrives on sustainable principles.
Democratic Belarus is ready to support the European Green Deal and fullfill international obligations. We already developed the program Green Belarus 2050, which includes necessary reforms and policies for a future green transition.
Dear friends,
I came here with several practical requests.
First: Endorse European aspirations of Belarusians. Belarusians want to hear from you, that our future is in Europe, and Europe’s door is open. Europe will never be safe until Belarus is free. So, your support for European future of Belarus is not a charity. It’s an investment in a peaceful and safe Europe.
Second: Support those who fight for freedom. We have resources to sustain, but we need resources to win. Support media, civil society, political prisoners.
Third: Keep Belarus high on the agenda. Make Belarus an integral part of the election program for the European Parliament. By doing this, you show your commitment to democracy, not just within the European Union, but wherever it is threatened.
Fourth: Help us to bring Lukashenka’s regime to account. For crimes against humanity. For abduction of Ukrainian children. For complicity in Russian criminal war. There is no better place to discuss it than here, in Karlsruhe – in the heart of German constitutionalism and justice.
And finally – let’s help Ukraine to win this war. Victory of Ukraine will be the ultimate defeat of Putin and Lukashenka.
Many Belarusians fight for Ukrainian freedom as we speak. Many of them gave their lives in this fight. Because we understand that it’s not just their fight – it’s our common fight for freedom.
Dear friends,
As the fall of the Berlin Wall has shown, dictatorship collapses fast and when no one expects it.
Help us not only bring these changes closer but also prepare for them.
With your support, the dream of a sovereign, democratic, and European Belarus will become a reality.
Together, we can build a Europe that is more robust, sustainable, and united than ever.
The road ahead may be long still. But with allies like the German Greens, I am confident that we can make our dream come true.
Thank you for standing with Belarus. Thank you for championing our European dream.
Long Live Belarus!
Long Live Europe!”
