At the invitation of President Biden, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya together with Natallia Pinchuk (wife of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski) took part in the Summit for Democracy 2023, organized by the White House. Tsikhanouskaya and Pinchuk spoke before the speech of President Biden in the main program of the Summit.
- Full text of the speech:
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: We are from Belarus, a country that is not free. A country that has lived under a brutal tyranny for 28 years. A country where people are deprived of their basic human rights. A country governed by fear, where even whispering the word “freedom” can land you in jail.
The hardest lesson we’ve learned these years is that Freedom is never given for free, it comes with a demand. And independence is not guaranteed forever either. These values require courage, responsibility and self-sacrifice. They need people who are ready to put the interests of others first.
One of these people is Natalia. I met her only recently, but I have long admired her bravery. The case of her husband, noted democracy activist and political prisoner Ales Bialiatski, is legendary amongst all Belarusians.
For 35 years, Natallia supported Ales as he fought peacefully for Belarus independence taking a risk in times of communist dictatorship. As he defended Belarusians who were persecuted by the regime. A year ago, when Ales was detained, she became his main advocate. During the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize to him last year, she spoke on his behalf, calling on the world to be decisive in support of the Belarusian people in their fight for democracy and the survival of Belarus as an independent state.
Many call our revolution a women's revolution precisely because of courageous people such as Natallia.
Natallia Pinchuk: For many years, Belarus has been a blind spot for Europe. Despite persistent peaceful struggle against the dictatorship by many brave people, including my husband, Ales.
Suddenly in 2020, the image of Belarus changed. To the amazement of many, the dictatorship was challenged by a woman. Sviatlana did not intend to enter politics. But when her husband decided to run for president and was arrested, she’s stood courageously in his place. The authorities did not take her seriously and they paid a heavy price. Sviatlana won the election.
The regime did not accept the will of the people, and with the support of Moscow it started to terrorize Belarusians. Sviatlana works for her people. She became a real leader in the eyes of Belarusians and the world beyond. She creates the future of Democratic Belarus, all the while enduring fear and trauma.
I know how difficult it is to stay strong when your husband is in prison. I miss my husband too, and I feel every bit of Sviatlana’s pain.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: When you get married, you vow loyalty to each other. We wanted to live simple lives and raise our children in love. But life doesn’t always pan out the way you hoped. This is when you have to stay loyal to your vows. The situation in Belarus and Ukraine today is also a test of loyalty for the world. How strong is the marriage between democracies and freedom? How strong is the commitment to self-determination? We, women, stay true to our husbands, who are taken hostage and tortured by the dictator. Our country and our people are hostages, too. Yet the people of Belarus stay true to the ideals of democracy. We want freedom for our husbands. We want freedom for our country.
Natallia Pinchuk: We are not speaking to you because we are mothers, or wives, or because we have children we love and want to keep safe. We are here because we are Belarusian. We are here because *everyone* suffers under this regime. It jails all those who dissent and destroys our hopes. And the consequence of this is the loss of the independence of Belarus.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Dictatorship is like cancer, it grows unless it is removed completely. If just one cancer cell remains – it will return with deadly force. The cancer of tyranny must be fought, not compromised. After the crackdown of 2020, the regime felt complete impunity, and became a threat to the entire region: it hijacked a Ryanair flight, orchestrated a migration crisis, and eventually dragged our country into Russia’s bloody war against Ukraine.
Natallia Pinchuk: When the war started, repression in Belarus intensified. Thousands were thrown behind bars not only for protesting against the regime but for taking any anti-war stance. They targeted and terrorized those who advocated for the independence of Belarus from Russia, and anyone defending Belarusian identity, language and culture.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: The fact is that independence, freedom, and peace are interconnected. The war of Russia against Ukraine clearly showed that the struggle for independence from imperial Russia is also a struggle for freedoms and human rights. And the fight against the pro-Russian dictatorship in Belarus is a contribution to the victory of a free Ukraine.
Because the fates of Ukraine and Belarus are intertwined. War in Europe will never end unless our common enemy, the tyrants of Moscow and Minsk are defeated not appeased.
Natallia Pinchuk: Undoubtedly, changes in Belarus are the task of Belarusians themselves. We started this fight, and we will finish it. But the path of peaceful, non-violent resistance that we chose will be successful only with strong international support and solidarity.
I believe that Ales Bialiatski, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, and thousands of Belarusians will be released from prison. I believe that Belarusians will win because our struggle is just. We will rebuild our country and reconcile our nation around the idea of freedom.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Democracy may seem fragile. And tyranny can seem invincible. But what we all know is that dictatorship ends in chaos whilst democracy ends in prosperity and peace.
Belarusians have already made their choice – choice of free European democratic and stable future. Help us to defend this choice. Help us to win our country back.
Long Live Belarus!
Speech of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Natallia Pinchuk started at ~ 1:40:30.
