Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the situation in Belarus, including the tension due to the unprecedented deployment of Russian troops. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that it is intended to exert pressure on the Belarusian society, as the regime is using the escalation to divert attention from terror and repression. She stressed the importance of the EU's vocal support for Belarusian sovereignty.
Tsikhanouskaya and Kofod discussed the situation with political prisoners, the ban on visiting them and the impossibility of assessing the conditions of their detention. No one is allowed into prisons, prisoners are kept in an information vacuum.
They discussed the work of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus led by DIGNITY in Copenhagen. Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya stressed the importance of pooling the efforts of all initiatives in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Tsikhanouskaya and Kofod also discussed Lukashenka's attempts to expunge the neutral and nuclear-weapons-free status from the constitution. This poses a threat to the entire region and Europe.
They touched upon the issues concerning assistance to civil society. Denmark has established a fund to support the media and human rights defenders. Denmark also supports initiatives on Belarusian culture and language. S. Tsikhanouskaya noted the importance of that, as it strengthens the Belarusian civil society, which is currently forced to operate underground..
Tsikhanouskaya and Kofod discussed the possibility of raising at the Council of the EU the issue of improving the effectiveness of sanctions, including closing loopholes for the supply of potash and oil products, as well as addressing corruption schemes built by the regime's oligarchs.
Tsikhanouskaya reiterated the reasons why the so-called “constitutional referendum” is in fact unconstitutional and illegal, and can in no way resolve the crisis.
