As part of the visit, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the World Forum for Democracy held by the Council of Europe and attended by representatives of more than 100 countries. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Tiny Kox and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić. In her addresses, the national leader of Belarus spoke about the need to distinguish between the Lukashenka regime and the people of Belarus, the illegality of the deployment of Russian troops on the territory of Belarus, as well as about support for political prisoners.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also took part in the inauguration of the work of the Council of Europe Contact Group on relations with Belarus. The Group includes representatives of Belarusian human rights organizations, independent journalists, youth, cultural workers, diaspora, gender activists, civil society, and democratic forces.
“The Council of Europe stands on principle with the Belarus’ democratic forces and civil society. I am pleased that this Group is now established. This is a ground-breaking decision: no other international organisation has created an institutional relationship of this kind”, said Secretary General of the Council of Europe Ms. Pejčinović-Burić.
Photo: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić
During the meeting with the PACE President Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed inviting representatives of Belarusian political parties and groups to the PACE session as observers. The meeting also focused on the creation of a tribunal against Lukashenka and his accomplices, and the Venice Commission's analysis of the draft Constitution developed by the democratic forces.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Representative for the Constitutional Reform and Parliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, commented on the outcomes of the visit: “It seems logical to legalize the presence of opposition democratic parties of Belarus in the PACE. Today, three leaders of Belarusian parties are behind bars: Mikalai Kazlou, Mikalai Statkevich, and Ryhor Kastusiou. It is important for the parties to preserve and strengthen international cooperation and for their representatives to have experience in international organizations. The Venice Commission has already taken the first step by giving its opinion on the political system documented in the draft Constitution of the new Belarus. The opinion is actually quite positive. But it is important for the supporters of changes to have the expertise of the whole draft. We cannot address the Commission directly, but it is in the competence of the PACE President. Here I would like to remind you once again that we must change not only the names of those in power, but also the system which they have been creating for almost three decades. And the system is the product of the Constitution!
As for the tribunal, PACE is going back to the times when it accepted the Purguridis report about the "assassination squad" that kidnapped and killed Lukashenka's opponents. The tribunal would continue the work that was started but not completed”.
At a meeting with the mayor of Strasbourg, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed holding Belarusian events in the city and inviting Belarusian publishers and authors to Strasbourg, which UNESCO has given the status of the World Book Capital for 2024.
