Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The decision of the Nobel Foundation to cancel invitations to the ambassadors of Lukashenka and Russia is a sign of solidarity with the Belarusian and Ukrainian people. In addition, it is an act of support for Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski, who has been illegally imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime for several years now.
I see in this decision of the Foundation principled support for the values that it was established to protect. A civilized dialogue is impossible with people who approve of war, justify violence, and deny the value of human life.
I hope that the Norwegian committee will also refrain from inviting the ambassadors of Lukashenka and Putin to Oslo. Last year, you made an important decision to award Ales Bialiatski the Peace Prize. And although it did not free the human rights defender from prison, it definitely strengthened his spirit and inspired his colleagues to continue the fight. Instead of representatives of the aggressor regimes, I suggest inviting Ales Bialiatski's wife Natalia Pinchuk, as well as representatives of free Belarus to the event. Because what they believe in and do is much more in line with Nobel ideals”.
