Dear friends,
Let me start with words of gratitude to the American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania for inviting me to speak today. I’m impressed by your great effort to promote and advance women’s leadership.
And, of course, let me thank Lithuania, which became a safe haven for me and thousands of Belarusians fleeing repression. Lithuania gives a vivid example of women’s leadership, with a female Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, and many women in ministerial positions.
In times of violence and war, it is obvious that more women in politics and business will mean more empathy, humanity, and wisdom in our decisions. These are exactly what we need in the world, now and ever.
Fighting for justice and democracy is not a sprint but a marathon. Women leaders have enough patience and resilience to endure all the hardships of this long distance. To my mind, they look into the future more often than into the past. They think less about historical wrongs or victories and more about challenges to come.
I have to confess that after three years in politics, I still don’t think of myself as a politician. I never wanted to be a political leader. However, I became one – out of love.
It was love for my husband Siarhei that made me take his place in the presidential campaign of 2020. Lukashenka was so afraid of Siarhei that he put him in jail. The dictator never played fair.
At that moment, I had other things “on my plate,” raising my son and daughter. They were my focus – because my boy was born with special needs. For a long time, I was trying to rehabilitate him without knowing whether it would help him or not. Same with fighting for free Belarus now: I don’t know when we will win, but we have to work hard and hope for the best.
As we all know all too well, women are often overlooked in this life. Especially in politics, which is still considered to be a “men’s world” even in democratic countries, not to speak of such a patriarchal country as Belarus. Lukashenka himself said right away that, “Our constitution is not made for a woman president. People won’t accept that”.
He was wrong. First, there’s nothing in any public office made “for men only”… And if there is, there must be something wrong with this office, not with women.
Second, the Belarusian people had nothing against a woman president. All the opposite. They were tired of an old, self-styled macho man who was abusing the country for twenty-six years. He spoke of Belarus as of his “beloved”, which he was not going to “give away”. And, of course he was ready to make her obey using his only advantage: violence.
In my presidential campaign, I was joined by two other women, Maryia Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsapkala.
It took us only 15 minutes to agree and unite. Which often takes months for men in politics.
In the beginning, people were skeptical about our chances. Then something happened. Belarusians have seen the female, more humane face of politics. The three young, smart, modern women embodied a different future for Belarus.
We won people’s hearts and people’s minds. And eventually, on August 9, 2020, I won the election. We all won. Belarusians won.
Lukashenka was furious: he lost to a woman he previously dismissed as a “housewife”. He proclaimed himself a winner. That very day, people took to the streets to protest that blatant falsification.
The police cracked down on protesters with unprecedented brutality. First shots were shot, first lives were lost. The prisons became torture chambers for thousands of the detained.
I was threatened by the KGB and told that for the sake of my children, I should leave the country immediately. In those circumstances, I made the decision that I will always live with: I agreed to leave Belarus. Thousands of others did not have that choice.
In those days of terror, I was in despair, thinking of giving up. But the Belarusian people gave me the courage to go on.
Belarusian women became first to protest against police brutality. Dressed in white, stepping boldly into streets full of riot police and KGB, they marched. They had lost all fear. The whole world saw those pictures.
The story of the Belarusian revolution is the story of Belarusian women.
Women are able to mobilize themselves under pressure. Their leading qualities are revealed in extreme situations.
I’m talking about Maryia Kalesnikava, who tore her passport to pieces not to be forcefully deported from Belarus. It takes a powerful personality to give such an example of courage and leadership at the right moment.
I’m talking about Natallia Suslava, a literature teacher from Homel University. Her son Pavel “Volat” gave his life fighting for Ukraine.
Natallia went there and became a caring mother to his brothers in arms. If she returns to Belarus, she will face years in prison for “supporting extremism.”
I am talking about Tatsiana Marinich, the widow of political prisoner Mikhail Marynich. She is an entrepreneur and investor and was forced to leave Belarus. Her Imaguru startup hubs today operate in Vilnius, Warsaw, and Madrid.
I am talking about Lyudmila Antanouskaya. She is an entrepreneur, owner, and director of the Polimaster, producing radiation detectors and dosimeters. She was forced to leave Belarus and is developing her business in Lithuania.
I’m talking about Palina Sharenda Panasiuk, an activist from Brest, mother of two children. She’s probably the most defiant and rebellious of all the political prisoners, men included. In court, she told the judge that she didn’t recognize his right to judge her, because the trial was a farce. She got 3 years. She renounced Belarusian citizenship in protest against being tortured and severely beaten in prison. Finally, she went on a hunger strike and made the jailors to change the prisoners’ conditions for the better.
Even today, the dictator keeps saying that “he’s not waging war against women.” In his typical patronizing, sexist way. Of course, it’s a lie. Over five hundred women have been convicted in politically motivated cases since 2020.
Today, there are hundreds of women political prisoners in Belarus. I do not doubt that any of them could be a politician or successful entrepreneur, in the future democratic Belarus, including being a president. But first, they must stay alive and must be released.
We have to do everything we can to bring them back to their families. We must demand their unconditional release.
I ask you to express solidarity with Belarusian women political prisoners. You can become “godmothers” to them, you can write them letters and postcards, and you can donate to human rights organizations.
I also ask you to invite Belarusians, particularly Belarusian women, in your projects or events. Make them your partners.
The struggle of Belarusian women that began in 2020 is not over. But the victory of Belarusians over the dictatorial regime of Lukashenka is inevitable.
Dear friends,
The topic of this event is “How to remain a leader in turbulent times.” And my answer is simple: Be brave. Be honest. Stand up to injustice. And always – stand by your values and principles.
Zhyvie Belarus! Slava Ukrainie!
Thank you.
