Mutual assistance, inquiries, and raising awareness
– Workers of the “Rodny kut” store in the Belarusian town of Lida told “Spotlight of the Regions” about extortion and ration cards they receive instead of salaries. The Office's lawyer explained how to deal with such a working environment. The “Spotlight of the Regions” initiative has been run to draw attention to the problems of people in Belarusian regions.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya held a call with Workers’ Movement activists. Workers spoke about the new inquiries they have launched to track circumvention of sanctions. Any working Belarusian can join the Movement to strengthen the potential of the nationwide strike.
– It has been six months since the Vtolnyja paštoŭki (Postcards of Freedom) project was launched. Since then, its team has raised EUR 5898 to support political prisoners, designed 76 postcards based on drawings and quotations from political prisoners, and printed 2005 copies.
– Valery Kavaleuski, the head of the Cabinet of Representatives, and Siarhej Zikratski, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s Representative on Legal Affairs, assessed the recent changes in the educational system, including lessons from priests and military instructors, repressions, and new surveillance measures: “If the state begins to teach patriotism, something is wrong in the state”.
– Ms. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called to support the Students’ Association and follow activist channels of different universities: “Students know, to love the Motherland, you do not need to study the ‘foundations of ideology’, but you need to know national symbols and native language”.
– Solidarity platform belarusplatform.org continues to grow as new protest and mutual assistance initiatives join it. The platform lets everyone find like-minded people, volunteers, or a project to join.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the introduction of a section of Belarusians Abroad in the Peramoga plan. The situational Analysis Center supported by BYPOL will develop action plans for them as well. The Peramoga plan is meant to create a mobilization reserve and, at the right time, mobilize the people of Belarus.
International work
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya paid a visit to Slovenia and participated in the Bled Strategic Forum. She had meetings with Janez Jansa, Prime Minister (more), and Anze Logar, Foreign Minister of Slovenia (more). After their previous meeting, Slovenia withdrew its consent to the work of the Belarusian honorary consulate under the leadership of Janez Shkrabec, who ran business with the regime and facilitated the circumvention of sanctions. Since July 1, Slovenia holds the EU Presidency and keeps the Belarusian issue on the EU agenda.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The EBRD President claimed that the institution is focused exclusively on the private sector and does not have any plans to make any sovereign investment for the foreseeable future. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed her confidence that the EBRD will resume its activities in new Belarus.
– In Bled, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also had meetings with President of the European Investment Bank Werner Hoyer (more), Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka (more), Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu (more), Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman (more). The main topics of discussions were increasing support for the civil society and attracting investments for new Belarus, as well as closing loopholes in sanctions and implementing the 5th package of EU sanctions to force the regime to release political prisoners.
– At the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on the EU to invite representatives of Belarusian democratic forces to the Eastern Partnership summit and redirect cooperation programs to non-governmental organizations.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and called on the EU to launch an assistance program for journalists and independent media. The EU will redirect funds intended for sovereign projects.
– Ms. Tsikhanouskaya told on her Twitter page about the regime’s inhumane treatment of political prisoners in Belarus. She said: “656 political prisoners and thousands of imprisoned on political grounds in Belarus. The release of any Belarusian is good news, but the regime continues to take more and more hostages. We must not let the regime trade them”.
– Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in interviews for foreign media, spoke about how the Belarusian struggle for freedom continues: N1, RTV SLO, RTV 4D, Nova24, 24ur (all based in Slovenia), Fakt (Poland), Het Financieele Dagblad (the Netherlands).
