“Dear members of the Foreign Affairs Committee,
Signore e signori,
It is a pleasure and an honor to speak in front of you today.
This week, the world commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. What happened at the Chernobyl nuclear plant was not only a technological and environmental disaster. First and foremost, it became a real humanitarian crisis, a catastrophe for the whole world. All this happened because the Soviet state did not care about human lives, safety and health, human dignity.
Unfortunately, 35 years later, my country is facing another crisis. And it is brought by the similar disregard for human life and dignity. The regime lied about the extent of the coronavirus pandemic, it lied about the election results, and it is still lying about the political persecution and political prisoners.
Belarusians said a decisive "no" to the dictatorship, they have stood up for their dignity and human rights. And the world has witnessed the true nature of these freedom-loving people.
Italy and its culture have always been very close and dear to many Belarusians. For many years, Italians have welcomed Belarusian children from the areas contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster during summers. I am one of the Chernobyl kids myself who was hosted by an Irish family. This hospitality built lasting ties between our families. It gave us a lesson in empathy and solidarity.
Solidarity is at the core of what is happening in Belarus. It is solidarity that brought people to the streets to show that they will stand up for every person of those 32 000 who were detained, tortured, or wronged in any other way.
It is solidarity with 358 political prisoners who are held as hostages of the regime that keeps us going.
It is solidarity that helped us build a coalition with our international friends. It is this solidarity that we need now more than ever.
The news from Belarus is bleak these days. We hear about appalling cases and sentences every day.
Aliaksandr Aranovich, a member of my husband’s campaign “Country for Living”, has been handed down a 6-year prison sentence recently. He was not even given a chance to defend himself or call on witnesses.
There is no real justice system in Belarus. If there was one, the mother of five Volha Zalatar would have been released. She is accused of creating and leading an extremist group. All she was doing is managing a neighbors’ group chat and organizing cultural events.
Calling someone an extremist, a terrorist is a new tool of persecution and silencing the opposition by the regime. They have added to the list bloggers, civil society, and political activists. You can also find my name on that list. But this will not silence me, will not deter me from the path I have chosen to defend my country.
And our country does need defending.
Lukashenka is using the crisis and fearmongering to promote the Union with Russia. Our independence and sovereignty are at stake here.
He is also trying to introduce an unconstitutional decree according to which the tightly-controlled Security Council would become his successor. Our constitution and the rule of law are at stake here.
That is why we are going forward with the proposal to hold negotiations on the peaceful transition of power. We have been working with our international partners and, in particular, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on the format and framework of such negotiations.
We see it as a three-fold process:
1. First, national dialogue and reconciliation based on the release of all political prisoners and restoration of their rights;
2. Second and central to the process, new free and fair elections;
3. Third, reform of the political system, restoration of the rule of law, and respect for human rights.
This is the time to step up. Italy is a country with a big heart, and we count on you to send a clear message that the regime’s crimes will not go unpunished. Our freedom is at stake here.
Italy is a country known for its love of freedom and its resistance movement, as much as Belarus. Only this week, you celebrated l’Anniversario della Resistenza.
We are the new Resistance at the heart of Europe, and we are calling for your unwavering support.
- We call on you to be decisive and take concrete actions to support Belarusians in our peaceful fight for democracy.
- We call on you to recognize Lukashenka as illegitimate and his policies as illegal.
- We call on you to vocally demand the release of all political prisoners.
- We call on you to strongly support the EU sanctions against those implicated in the election fraud and human rights violations.
- We call on you to participate in the international investigation of the crimes against humanity.
- We call on you to take part in the mediation of the negotiations within the OSCE on the way out of the crisis towards the new elections in Belarus.
The crisis in Belarus is the crisis for the whole of Europe and the world. The people of Belarus need Italy to overcome this crisis. We need you to stop the repression machine from ruining hundreds and thousands of lives.
Stai con noi per la libertà e la dignità! Grazie!”.
