Yesterday Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her associates in the female trio, Veranika Tsapkala and Tatsiana Khomich, who represented political prisoner Maryia Kalesnikava, took part in the award ceremony of the Charlemagne Prize. This year the Prize, awarded to the trio last year, was given to Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the People of Ukraine. This is one of the most prestigious political awards in the world.
Prior to the ceremony, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the Charlemagne Prize Forum. She spoke about the situation with political prisoners, including Viktar Babaryka and Ihar Losik, and talked about the death of political prisoner Mikalai Klimovich, as well as the sentences imposed on the partisans and journalists. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also called for distinguishing between the regime and the people in Belarus, stating a European perspective for Belarus, holding the Lukashenka regime accountable, including for its involvement in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
On the primary day of the ceremony, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Tatsiana Khomich, and Veranika Tsapkala attended the solemn service at the ancient Aachen Cathedral and the award ceremony itself. In Aachen, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the Speaker of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, the Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Tsikhanouskaya also spoke at a Ukraine rally, which was also attended by President Zelenskyy and other high-level guests.
Later that day, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya had a bilateral meeting with the former President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė. They discussed Belarus, the absence and illness of Lukashenka, and possible developments of events.
