On March 22, a terrorist attack took place outside Moscow. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on the event and urged Belarusians to take care of their safety, avoid crowds of people, and assess the situation in the country.
CONFERENCE OF BELARUSIAN DIASPORA. On March 23-24, the Third Conference of the Belarusian Diaspora took place in Prague, organized by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Office of Democratic Forces of Belarus in the Czech Republic, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the People’s Embassies of Belarus. The event brought together guests from 21 countries and more than 100 initiatives and organizations. At the opening of the conference, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a speech, emphasizing the importance of the Belarusian community and noting that no one but Belarusians can solve their problems. The conference featured three panels, during which famous speakers shared their thoughts and answered questions.
On the first day of the conference, the participants discussed the strategic vision for Belarus’ democratic movement, relations with Ukraine, and various aspects of cooperation. On the second day, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya launched a memorial plate for Francysk Skaryna and joined the Freedom Day march in Prague.
BELARUS DAY AT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. On March 20, on the occasion of Freedom Day, the European Parliament held a Day of Belarus. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attended some of the events, including the exhibition “I’m Not Afraid, Let Them Be Afraid” dedicated to Ales Bialiatski and the Belarus Free Theater performance “Postchildhood” dedicated to living in exile and witnessing a war.
KALINOWSKI CONFERENCE. On March 22, the Kalinowski Conference was held in Vilnius, in the Seimas of Lithuania, in which Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part. During her speech, she emphasized that the fate of freedom, democracy, and the nations’ right to self-determination is being decided again in the region now. After her speech, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya gave the floor to the fighters of the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment.
EURONEST ASSEMBLY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the 11th ordinary session of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly. In her speech, she focused on the importance of a European perspective for Belarus and proposed to include Belarus’ democratic forces in the Eastern Partnership. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor for Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, commented on the results of the event and stated that the democratic forces have separate plans for relations with each of the Eastern Partnership delegations.
FREEDOM DAY 2024. Freedom Day will be celebrated on March 25. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office prepared a list of events that will take place around the world. More details at the link. A map of the activities is available at bnr106.info.
On March 24, during the Freedom Day march in Prague, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the participants: “This day celebrates our struggle not only for freedom but also for the very existence of Belarus as a country. We cannot celebrate Freedom Day today in Minsk. That is why Belarusians take to the streets all around the world to remind everyone about our struggle and support the people imprisoned by the regime. And we will continue to do this. Until we regain our country”.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL. On March 22, the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council was held, where the report by the High Commissioner on Human Rights was presented. It confirms that some of the regime’s human rights violations may amount to crimes against humanity.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Kristina Rikhter, spoke at a side event dedicated to victims of political repression in Belarus, where she called for pressure on the Lukashenka regime to secure access to political prisoners and ensure that political prisoners can exercise their rights to medical and legal assistance.
VISIT BRUSSELS. On March 21, during her visit to Brussels, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke before the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of unity and determination in the fight against tyranny and dictatorship and called for support for Belarusians through visas and assistance with the legalization of stay. The leader also visited the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Brussels, spoke at the award ceremony of the European Parliament, and met with the head of the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations and the Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia.
BELARUS–POLAND. On March 22, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Chairman of the Polish Sejm Foreign Affairs Commission, Paweł Kowal. During the meeting, they discussed Poland’s support for the Belsat TV channel, independent media, and civil society initiatives, as well as the issuance of Polish visas to Belarusians.
BRIEFING FOR DIPLOMATS. On March 22, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a big meeting with ambassadors and diplomats from 16 countries. A delegation led by the EU Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership, Dirk Schuebel, visited Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Vilnius. During her speech, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya urged diplomats to issue more visas to Belarusians and simplify the conditions for obtaining them, launch scholarship programs and exchanges for Belarusians, include Belarus in the Eastern Partnership programs, and support the new Belarusian passport project.
VISITS TO LONDON AND ROME. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, spoke about the highlights of his visits to London and Rome. These visits were conducted as a follow-up to Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s earlier visits to the UK and Italy.
KASTUS KALINOUSKI REGIMENT. The Kastus Kalinouski Regiment finished fundraising for the FVP drones. Its warriors thanked the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for the informational support. You can support the regiment by donating at the link.
YOUTH POLICY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, gave an interview to Euroradio. She spoke on the opinions of the Belarusian youth and how they have changed over the past few years, discussed the effects of the regime’s propaganda on society, and stressed the division among the Belarusian youth today.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to Globe and Mail (Canada), The Times (the UK), Wirtualna Polska (Poland), Associated Press (International), and Merkur (Germany).
