VISIT TO DENMARK. On October 8-10, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Denmark. The Belarusian leader received the NATO PA award “Women for Peace and Security”. In her speech at the awarding ceremony she dedicated the award to all Belarusian women. During her visit, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the Crown Prince, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Parliament Speaker and MPs of Denmark, as well as with Belarusians living in the country. She had a separate meeting with the Ambassadors of Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Lithuania, and Croatia.
The Belarusian leader also visited the Danish Cultural Institute, which together with the Belarusian Council for Culture implements a major support program for Belarusian cultural initiatives. In addition, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the leadership of the the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, which collects evidence of the regime's crimes.
OFFICE IN COUNCIL OF EUROPE. An Office of Democratic Belarus was launched in the building of the Council of Europe. The Office will be used for the Contact Group meetings, as well as consultations and inter-parliamentary cooperation. This once again emphasizes the recognition of democratic forces as representatives of Belarus at the European level.
WORLD DAY AGAINST DEATH PENALTY. On October 10, the world observes the Day Against the Death Penalty. The Belarusian leader released a statement about this type of punishment: “I strongly condemn the use of the death penalty and believe that it must be abolished. We want to see Belarus as a European country where human rights are respected and justice is served according to the principles of fairness and humanity. Therefore, after the democratic transition of power, our country must abandon this type of punishment forever”.
BELARUS-LITHUANIA. On October 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the new Mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas. She thanked the city and the Mayor's Office for supporting Belarusians living in Vilnius. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed launching additional Belarusian language classes for Belarusian children in local schools and holding a meeting with the parents of Belarusian children in Vilnius. At the end of the meeting, the Belarusian leader handed over to the Mayor a number of requests from the Belarusian religious community in Vilnius.
MOTHER'S DAY. On October 14, when Belarus marks Mother’s Day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, along with representatives of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the Coordination Council, recorded a touching video address. They shared personal stories about their mothers, whose love has always been a source of strength and inspiration for them, and whose advice and support have helped them overcome life's most difficult challenges.
RESTITUTION CONCEPT. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office, in cooperation with Belarusian human rights organizations, NGOs, attorneys, and former lawyers, developed a draft Concept of restitution for the victims of the regime. Additional materials were released this week explaining the work of the Commission for Restoration of Justice, as well as the mechanism for the restoration of property rights. Read them at the links.
The draft Concept is available in Russian and Belarusian. Belarusians can share their feedback and proposals through the Telegram bot @AskOffice_Bot, email [email protected], and the Google form.
BELARUS-SWEDEN. On October 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the Swedish Defense Commission in Vilnius. The Commission includes representatives of Sweden's government, Armed Forces, Parliament, as well as all of the country's political parties. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for assistance to Belarusians in legalizing their stay in Sweden, mentioning the situation of union leader Ala Tsivirko, who has been denied asylum because Belarus is formally considered a safe country to return to. The Belarusian leader also urged the Swedish Defense Commission to support Belarusian volunteer fighters in Ukraine.
TRAINING SESSION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Advisor on Youth Policy and Students took part in the training session for young people organized within the Action Plan of the Contact Group on Belarus in the Council of Europe. More than 30 young Belarusians participated in the training, with 8 project ideas developed in the areas of protecting LGBTQ+ rights, strengthening Belarusian national identity, and involving young people in decision-making processes. Requests from young people to the Council of Europe were also collected.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya supported the Reporters Without Borders campaign “Postcards for Maryna”, held from September 6 to November 6 to mark the birthday of the chief editor of TUT.by, Maryna Zolatava. The Belarusian leader recorded a video for Marina: “You always upheld the highest standards of journalism and set an example for your colleagues. Now, every day for you is a marathon. A marathon of fighting for your life, your health, and your dignity. I have no doubt that you can withstand this trial”.
CONVERSATIONS WITH BELARUSIANS. On Friday, October 13, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, together with Volha Harbunova, Representative of the United Transitional Cabinet for Social Issues, held weekly personal conversations with Belarusians to discuss the issues faced by the people both in Belarus and beyond.
OFFICE VOLUNTEERS. On October 12, volunteers of the Office had an online call with human rights defender and former political prisoner Leanid Sudalenka. During the conversation the volunteers together with Leanid wrote letters to Belarusian political prisoners. They also talked about other ways to support political prisoners, the role of international organizations in helping Belarus, and opportunities for Belarusians
within the country to protect their rights. An interview with Leanid will be released soon.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to BelSAT (Belarus), Ukrainian Radio (Ukraine), DR (1, 2) (Denmark), Information, and Berlingske (Denmark).
On October 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also held a meeting with the editors of Belarusian independent mass media. The Belarusian leader thanked them for their work and called for more efforts to debunk propaganda and reach Belarusians inside the country.
