Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is on an official visit to the Czech Republic, where she meets with President Miloš Zeman, Prime Minister Andrej Babis, and the Senate. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will be the second politician in history to address the Czech Senate.
Today, the Belarusian leader visited the Waldstein Palace, where she met the head of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil and a number of senators. All politicians have put on white-red-white badges as a sign of our people’s support. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked for non-recognition of the regime, support for sanctions, the MEDEVAC program for the treatment of repressed Belarusians, and the assistance of Belarusian independent media. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted the importance of supporting local communities, volunteers, and the workers' movement. She spoke about the initiative “Labour's Movement” and the plan “Peramoga”. Together with the head of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčill, she held a joint press conference. There, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on every Czech to write a letter to political prisoners in Belarus and local media to talk about the Belarusian crisis.
Afterward, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met Dagmar Havlova, the widow of Czech politician and first Czech president Václav Havel. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that Havel was always worried about Belarus: he wrote letters to Belarusian political prisoners and supported the issue of Belarus in the world.
Vaclav Havel created a scholarship program for journalists. Its fellows are Igor Losik and Raman Pratasevich, who are currently imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime. In a conversation with Ms. Havlova about the “Velvet Revolution” leader, it also turned out that the last letter that Václav Havel wrote in his life was a letter from a Belarusian political prisoner. The politician’s widow gave the Belarusian leader a heart from Havel’s desk, which he collected. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted that “the heart of love to Belarus will now always be with me”. They agreed to support Belarusian cultural initiatives in the Czech Republic.
On the same day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with women ambassadors to the Czech Republic — Canada, Lithuania, Mexico, Latvia, South Africa, Indonesia, Slovenia, Austria, Thailand, Estonia, Romania, USA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed that any support is of great importance to Belarusians. Once the world began to speak with one voice, the Belarusians felt the hope of change. Thank you for your support. It is important that the Belarusian question unites regardless of political orientation, continent or profession», – noted Ms. Tsikhanouskaya.
Also, today Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the rehabilitation program participants of victims of repression in Belarus MEDEVAC and with the rector, vice-rectors, and students of Charles University, who opened doors for expelled students in Belarus. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the help of Belarusians and suggested that the university develop special programs for our students to study remotely.
At the end of the day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at a rally in central Prague, where she met with the Belarusian diaspora near the monument of Francisca Skorina. More than 1,500 Belarusians took part in two events. The Belarusians told their stories of participation in the protests and sang the cult song of our revolution, “Razbury turmy mury”.
