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  • Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for the week of April 19-25

    April 25, 2021

    Preparation for negotiations and pressure on the regime:

    – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had a call with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić and representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. PACE has adopted two resolutions on the situation in Belarus calling for the national dialogue, new presidential elections this year, and the investigation of numerous human rights violations. PACE also proposes to consider the Council of Europe as a mediation platform.

    United States Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher visited Vilnius and had meetings with Ms. Tsikhanouskaya and her team. Ambassador Fisher told Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that due to increasing repressions, the US is imposing sanctions against nine Belarusian state-owned enterprises a week ahead of schedule, as well as calling for the release of political prisoners and supporting the call for dialogue.

    – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya along with US Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher, Polish Ambassador to Belarus Artur Michalski, Lithuanian Ambassador to Belarus Andrius Pulokas, and Ukrainian Embassy Third Secretary Dmytro Serov laid flowers to the monument “Mother of Chernobyl” in Vilnius. This gesture was timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

    – Also ambassadors visited places in Vilnius, historically significant for Belarusians, in particular Basilian Gates, and lit candles in front of the Gate of Dawn.

    – The Office has issued detailed information on imposed sanctions against the regime and how it affects Belarus. The purpose of sanctions is to stop violence, release political prisoners and force the regime to negotiate.

    – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with Ambassador to Belarus Artur Michalski. During the meeting, they discussed support for the International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB), assistance to Belarusians in Poland, and meeting with President of Poland Andrzej Duda.

    – Ms. Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. She called on the European Union to cancel visas for Belarusians and announce the plan of macro-support for democratic Belarus.

    – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya made a call with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. Minister supported Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s call for the national dialogue and invited her to an official visit to Greece.

    – Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s representative on the constitutional reform, Anatoli Liabedzka, reviewed Lukashenka’s decision to give more power to the Security Council in Belarus in case of emergency from the standpoint of the Constitution and found further violations.

    – Mr. Liabedzka also met with the Ambassador of Germany to Belarus Manfred Hutterer. The Ambassador reviewed some sections of the draft Constitution and referred to it as a document for a future that also shapes reality.

    – Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s team held working consultations with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, during which they discussed the implementation of the sanctions already imposed and the prospects for their expansion.

    – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the Green Democracy Conference 2021, at the presentation of the 2021 World Press Freedom Index launch, at the discussion on the future of the Belarusian democratic movement in ClubHouse together with Michael McFaul, Garry Kasparov, and Bill Browder.

    Support and mutual assistance:

    “Spotlight of Regions” project reported for the first two weeks of its work: Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s Office received 221 reports about non-payment of salaries, the arbitrariness of administration, repressions, and other problems in different cities, towns, and villages of Belarus.

    – In the last week “Spotlight of Regions” received 46 messages. There are reports from all regions of bankruptcy of local enterprises, non-payment of salaries, and arbitrary administration. If you are a journalist or the author of a media channel, you can subscribe to the verified information dispatch “Projectors” – contact the head of Public Outreach of the Office Alexandra Logvinova.

    – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held calls with volunteers of the Office, Belarusian workers, doctors, and representatives of the Belarusian diaspora in the United States. The possibility of organizing legal aid for volunteers was discussed. During the call, doctors discussed how to provide WHO with truthful information about the Covid situation in Belarus.

    The united strike committee told about the first results of the platform stachka.org. Ales Aliakhnovich, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s representative for economics, presented the project of economic support for the striking movement.

    – Volunteers of the Office are continuing their campaign #мненужныпереговоры, offering steps that will help to hold negotiations in Belarus.

    – Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s representative for education analyzed the current state of Belarus in the Bologna process.

    – Also Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s representative for education presented a new program of support “Hilda Domin” for Belarusian students in danger.

    – Volunteers of the Office, together with the ByPol initiative, compiled Telegram messenger security instruction for metodist.by. This project gathers various ways of peaceful protest that anyone can join.
     
    Media appearances and interviews:

    The leader of democratic Belarus, in her interviews for Belarusian and international media, spoke about the situation in Belarus, massive repressions, and work on preparation for negotiations:
    EURACTIV (EU): “Tsikhanouskaya: Repressions are escalating, EU should be ‘braver’ in its sanction policy”
    Associated Press News (World): “US ambassador to Belarus meets exiled opposition leader”
    Associated Press News (World): “Belarus leader in Moscow for talks on closer ties”
    RAI (Italy): “Bielorussia, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Chiederò all'Italia di sostenere nostra lotta pacifica”
    Ta Nea (Greece): “Ζητούμε την πολιτική απομόνωση του Λουκασένκο”
    Белсат (Belarus): Евронест, Чернобыль, переговоры Лукашенко и Путина 
    TUT.by (Belarus): “Это изменило всю мою жизнь”. Истории белорусских «детей Чернобыля», которые после аварии полетели по миру в чужие семьи”

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