On March 16, in Geneva, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the State Secretary of the Swiss Confederation Livia Leu.
- The Secretary of State announced Switzerland’s synchronization with the EU sanctions, including against Lukashenka, his henchmen, and military officials. Switzerland will support sanctions against the regime-linked banks.
- Switzerland will support Belarusian human rights defenders and provide financing for the International Accountability Platform for Belarus that collects evidence of the regime’s crimes.
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Switzerland for facilitating the release of political prisoner Natallia Hersche. The Secretary of State stressed that Hersche’s release was unconditional and that it is important to keep demanding the release of all political prisoners in Belarus.
- The national leader of Belarus urged Switzerland to abstain from presenting Ambassador’s credentials to Lukashenka. The State Secretary assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that the ambassador did not do that.
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on Switzerland to provide humanitarian assistance to Belarusians and Belarusian NGOs in Ukraine. They agreed to discuss this issue in detail soon.
- Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Livia Leu also discussed international mechanisms to bring perpetrators of crimes in Belarus to justice, including through international courts and instruments of universal jurisdiction.
