Releasing political prisoners, helping repressed journalists, closing sanctions loopholes for regime supporters – main issues Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office has been working on for the last week.
Support and mutual assistance: assistance to journalists and initiatives in Belarus
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya supported Nasha Niva and the editorial staff of mass media, in which searches and detentions took place last week. She encouraged to follow Belarusian independent media in social networks.
– During a meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on Denmark to support independent media of Belarus. Denmark had previously announced the establishment of a special fund to assist Belarusians.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also raised the issue of the need to help Belarusian journalists during the meetings with Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Europen Commission representative Katarina Mathernova and Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State George Kent.
– Representatives of the initiatives “Workers Movement” and plan “Peramoga” on a live stream shared about their work. Preparations for the national strike and general mobilization are underway.
– Initiative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office “Spotlight of Regions” reported about corruption and bribery at Niasvizh Plant of Medications. Every Belarusian can report about cases of corruption, administrative arbitrariness, non-payment of salaries, bankruptcy of enterprises, and the situation in their regions through the chat-bot of the “Spotlight of the Regions” initiative @bel2020_bot.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya supported the leaders and coordinators of the network of samizdat ByProsvet and called for the distribution of the underground press. Anyone can download newspapers in the ByProsvet channel, print and distribute them to mailboxes, workplaces, and public sites.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared July 16, the day when the headquarters of Viktar Babaryka, Valery Tsapkala, and Sviatlana Tsikahnouskaya united before the 2020 elections, as the Day of Solidarity with Belarusian Women and called for its support with pickets, letters to political prisoners, aid through solidarity funds.
– Democratic forces represented by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian Council for Culture, Belarusian diaspora, People's Anti-Crisis Managment, and other initiatives have organized the Week of Belarusian Culture around the world with the participation of Belarusian artists, musicians, artists.
International work: delegitimizing the regime, visits, and new programs
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced at a press briefing that she will visit Ireland and is preparing for a visit to the United States. She also told the latest news about the representative office of Belarus in Vilnius and the investigation into the hijacking of the Ryanair plane.
– During the meetings with Marc Garneau and Katarina Mathernova, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated how important it is to launch assistance and rehabilitation programs for political prisoners and their families. In a meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez, she called to launch a program for relocated Belarusian businesses.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office received from the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the representative status, which will strengthen the voice of Belarusians in the world and make it possible to keep in touch with politicians at the highest level constantly. Work is underway to establish such representative offices in different countries of the world.
– Leader of democratic Belarus met with the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and suggested a format for Belarusians to participate in the Eastern Partnership since Aliaksandr Lukashenka had withdrawn himself from the program. They also discussed assistance to Belarusians and the strengthening of sanctions against the regime.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the situation of migrants on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis and expressed her support. At the same time, the Belarusian democratic forces continue to insist on the opening of the land border from Belarus.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Representative on Foreign Affairs, Valery Kavaleuski, answered questions on the international work of the Office – the recording can be found here.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, together with Pavel Latushka, Volha Kavalkova, Anton Radniankou, and other representatives of the democratic forces, addressed the deputies of the European Parliament. The leader of democratic Belarus and Mr. Kavaleuski also took part in the regular meeting of the inter-party group on Belarus of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in interviews with Belarusian and foreign media told about the situation in Belarus: Visir (Iceland), Faces of Democracy, Radio Liberty, Belsat, TV-Ukraine, AP News, The Irish Times, Today (Ukraine).
