Today, February 7, the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, took part in public hearings of the Coordination Council in Warsaw. In a question-and-answer format, members of the Council’s factions and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the results of the democratic forces’ work and priorities for 2026–2027.
The hearing was held publicly and livestreamed on the official YouTube channel of the Coordination Council. The session was moderated by the Coordination Council Speaker, Artsiom Brukhan, and Vice Speaker, Lizaveta Prakopchyk.
In her opening remarks, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented an overview of the Cabinet’s activities and plans for 2026–2027. She emphasized that, despite years of repression, exile, and pressure, the democratic forces of Belarus have managed to preserve unity, build functioning institutions, and remain an active subject of international politics.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Our common goal is, of course, to start a dialogue. But it must be a dialogue not between Lukashenka and the West. This must be a dialogue with the Belarusian people. As they say, ‘nothing about us without us’. Only such a dialogue will bear fruit. And we are always ready for such a dialogue”.
During the Q&A session, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya answered more than 60 questions addressing the most pressing issues facing the democratic forces and Belarusian society today: strategy and plans for the near term, the work of the Cabinet, the Coordination Council election, support for political prisoners, sanctions policy, and further strengthening of international pressure on the regime, including through legal and international mechanisms.
A separate focus was placed on the releases of political prisoners. Commenting on the situation, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted: “Let me emphasize once again that the releases of political prisoners did not happen by chance. This is the result of five years of work by the democratic forces: the Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, human rights defenders, and our expert organizations, which have worked methodically and systematically with the United States Congress and American expert circles to keep the Belarusian issue on the US agenda. The fact that the Belarus issue has drawn the attention of President Trump is the result of our joint efforts”.
On the institutions of the democratic forces:
- “Institutions – the Cabinet, the Office, the Coordination Council – are what sets our movement apart from others, and many nations that have found themselves in a situation similar to ours truly envy us”.
- “Over the past year, we have significantly reorganized the work of the Cabinet and the Office. Today, the Cabinet is a cohesive, strong team. We work collegially, meet weekly, each person is responsible for their own area, and all decisions are made collectively”.
The hearing on the report by the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, lasted nearly five hours. Watch the full recording at the link. Read the full text of Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s address here.
