VISIT TO THE UK. On October 16-18, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in London on a working visit, where she delivered the Westminster Lecture, held a briefing for the ambassadors of 24 EU countries, and took part in the UK-Belarus Partnership Forum.
During the visit, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also met with a number of British politicians, including the Foreign Secretary, Shadow Foreign Secretary, Minister of State for Human Rights, the Shadow Defense Secretary, former Prime Minister, former Europe Secretary, members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as the Belarusian diaspora in London.
VISIT TO AUSTRIA. On October 19, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Innsbruck, Austria, where she spoke at the Management Center Innsbruck before thousands of listeners. To mark the visit of the Belarusian leader, the university launched a scholarship program for Belarusians under the patronage of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
VISIT TO MOLDOVA. On October 20-21, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a working visit to Moldova at the invitation of President Maia Sandu. This became Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s first official visit to a CIS country. During the visit, the Belarusian leader met with the President, the Speaker of the Parliament, and members of the group “For a Democratic Belarus”. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also took part in the Moldova Women Forum.
VISIT TO AUSTRALIA. This week, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Chief Advisor, Franak Viacorka, was on a working visit to Australia, where he met with the Deputy Foreign Secretary, representatives of the Foreign Affairs Department and Prime Minister's Office, the Ambassador of Australia to Russia and Belarus, and other politicians. During the meetings, the parties discussed support for former political prisoners and their rehabilitation, accountability for the regime, sanctions against Lukashenka's henchmen, and raising the issue of Belarus at G20 and ASEAN events. They also talked about Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's visit to Australia, which is expected in 2024.
BELARUS-LATVIA. On October 19, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Advisor for the Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, and the Office’s Representative for Latvia and Estonia, Vitaly Malchanau, met with members of the group “For a Democratic Belarus” in the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia. They discussed the draft law potentially restricting vehicles with Belarusian license plates from entering Latvia, while the Belarusian side also proposed extending the validity of residence permits for Belarusians from one to three years.
COOPERATION WITH THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE. The Contact Group on Belarus in the Council of Europe held a training session for more than 30 young activists and leaders from Belarus, including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Advisor for Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava. The participants developed 7 projects focusing on various areas of social life. The projects concern LGBTQ+ support, media development, human rights protection, and education, and demonstrate how young people can contribute to building democracy.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. During Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s visit to London, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson recorded an address, in which he supported Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's campaign to raise awareness about political prisoners in Belarus and called on the international community to join it. Mr. Johnson also announced that he would become a symbolic godfather to the political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski. “I am very grateful to Boris Johnson for his support not only for Siarhei but also for all political prisoners in Belarus. We all should be their voice. We need to remind the world about our heroes every day so that the regime cannot just turn the page on what has been happening in Belarus”, commented Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
RESTITUTION FOR VICTIMS OF THE REGIME. 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 on the mechanisms of reinstatement and compensation for expelled students and dismissed workers.
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.
OFFICE AUDIT. On September 19, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office received the auditing company's report on the results of the financial audit of its operations. The report and its summary can be found at the link.
SOLIDARITY DAY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared November 12 the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus and called on international partners and Belarusians abroad to join it. On this day, everyone is invited to hold events and rallies, make statements, and express their solidarity with political prisoners and those fighting for a free and independent Belarus.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELARUSIANS. The Office's team on education released a new issue of the Asveta digest covering various educational opportunities, scholarships, and internships.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to The Times (the UK), Novaya Gazeta Europe (democratic Russia), DW (International), and Polsat (1, 2) (Poland).
