“Dear ladies and gentlemen,
I am grateful to be invited to speak here at Oxford Union.
For more than a year, I, along with other brave Belarusians, have been working to turn my country from a dictatorship into a democracy. It’s a tough – and exhausting – fight.
Belarusian freedom movement started as a miracle nobody believed in the spring of 2020. After 27 years of oppression by the dictator Lukashenka we thought we had lost all of our confidence and self-esteem. However, last year proved that Belarus, a country caught between Russia and the European Union, has a strong need and an even stronger will for democracy.
And here we are – in the middle of a humanitarian catastrophe and a democratic crisis, the scope of which, it seems, not everyone still understands. And before we’d jump into debates, I’d try to use these couple of minutes to give a short overview of this catastrophe and of what can be done to overcome it.
As you may know, I entered the presidential race because the authorities preemptively jailed my husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski in May 2020, along with other popular alternative candidates like Viktar Babaryka. Belarusians trusted me and voted for me, a rookie with no experience in politics, because they wanted a change.
Something happened that previously seemed impossible. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians united in their desire to take their country’s fate into their own hands. In a historic act of civil courage, Belarusians overcame their fear and apathy. In Minsk, 60 thousand people came out to support me at my first big rally before elections and speak up for peaceful changes. Just in a couple of weeks this number grew to 200 thousands people who went on the streets for a peaceful demonstration.
The presidential campaign has inspired unforeseen levels of mobilisation, participation and determination. Through Telegram, YouTube and other social media channels, we mobilised our family, friends and colleagues to go to the ballots and give voice to their discontent. We collected thousands of signatures for presidential candidates and built an army of election observers. We created digital platforms to benefit from our society’s collective intelligence, unleashing creative campaigns, slogans, projects, ideas – a true force of democracy, never seen in Belarus before.
Actually, not only in Belarus, but I would even say worldwide. As it's a truly unique case in modern history when we see the nation to be awakened by the means of creativity and technology.
Belarusians are making history. They show to the whole world that by peaceful demonstrations, innovation and strong desire to be free you can advance democracy.
And that nothing is impossible if you're brave, daring and groundbreaking. Belarusians showed that and also call on all of you to follow their example and do what you can to help us succeed.
The people of Belarus had no doubt that we won those elections, but Lukashenka declared he had over 80% of the votes and then destroyed all the voting ballots, and forced me out of the country.
Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians found courage to take to the streets to protest against rigged election results. What followed was an unprecedented wave of repression, and it continues to this day. Since the presidential election on August 9, 2020, more than 37,000 people have been detained and jailed. Thousands have been humiliated, tortured, and traumatized. Currently, there are more than 830 recognized political prisoners and2000 behind bars under criminal charges for political reasons. Many face up to 20 years in prison. Almost every Belarusian now has a relative or a friend in prison. Thousands of people have been forced to flee for safety. As of August 2021, Poland alone issued over 150,000 humanitarian visas to Belarusians. The actual number of Belarusians who left their country to escape political persecution is likely much higher.
The situation in Belarus is catastrophic. The regime is acting out of revenge and fear. The political elite continues clinging to power, which is based solely on violence and repression. While the regime is still in control, Belarusian society has already changed. We want to determine our future – a right we have been denied for a long time.
We remain in intensive contact with local Belarusian initiatives. Workers are preparing for a nationwide strike. Many Belarusians have joined our “Peramoha” (Victory) plan to mobilize peaceful, non-violent resistance. We have developed a vision for a future democratic Belarus and announced the “New Belarus” campaign.
These actions help us lay the groundwork for the necessary aid programs and reforms. In addition, we are working to divide the political elites in Belarus by offering dialogue formats on the one hand and exerting political pressure on the other. Our demands remain unchanged: release of political prisoners and hold free and fair elections.
Now the question is how the world can help us to pave the way into a democratic future?
There are several tools that help us advance democracy in Belarus. It is important to combine the uncompromised pressure on the regime with the support for the civil society. The pressure can include the comprehensive sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and non-recognition of Lukashenka's government, the initiation of international legal processes against those who commit crimes against humanity. The support should include help for the vulnerable groups such as doctors, students, journalists, and refugees, as well as the measures for the protection and liberation of political prisoners.
However, sometimes it’s not enough. Why so? I think it’d be a good topic for us to discuss today. But my prompt answer would be that the democratic world sometimes lacks not only being daring and bold but – more importantly – a comprehensive approach and institutional flexibility on how to help democracies in crisis. Democratic countries often tend to be reactive, but not proactive. And this is disturbing. Disturbing not only for countries that have an authoritarian regime, like Belarus but also for the whole democratic world.
Sometimes I ask myself and also leaders of democratic countries:
Do we fully realize the scope of the political crisis in Belarus and its impact on the democracies in Europe and globally?
The regime in Belarus hijacked the Ryanair plane between two EU and NATO capitals, weaponized migration, and tried to arrest athlete Tsimanouskaya during the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
This autocracy in the middle of Europe is now a real threat not only to Belarusians but to the whole world. The Belarus crisis is also a test for Europe. It is a test for the global democratic community and for international organizations.
Tarja Halonen, former Finish president, with whom I met this spring and who was also one of your guests previously, has said: “The goal of the EU is to form a region of freedom, security, and justice”. Not politically, but by its identity Belarusians are Europeans. If Europe is aiming to propagate freedom and justice, here we are – Belarusians – who need your support, expertise, and action.
“Civil disagreement is a cornerstone of liberal society – as you”, Chengkai said.
I disagree with some people who think that if there are no massive protests on the street at the moment Belarus will lose its chance for democracy. Here in Oxford, you have many great minds. Let’s rethink democracy together, let’s jointly find solutions to confront authoritarianism. Spread the word, write articles on Belarus, debate, influence opinion makers and politicians. Hold a series of debates on how democracies should handle authoritarian regimes. Hold a separate panel discussion on Belarus with Oxford professors.On November 27th during the International day of Solidarity with Belarus, make a statement in defence of democracy by Oxford Union and also advocate for your professors and administration to join. Be our light, be our guide
We must encourage and support people who want to actively work for change and take destiny into their own hands because democracy thrives on action. We owe the next generation an inspiring narrative of future Europe and a thriving, innovative democracy.
Thank you!”
