On October 10, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen. The politicians discussed the issues faced by Belarusians in Denmark, many of whom have become hostages of Lukashenka's recent decree on the cessation of consular activities abroad. The Belarusian leader proposed to consider expired passports as valid, extend the validity of residence permits, and begin issuing foreigners' passports. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also talked about the work on the new Belarusian passport and expressed hope for Denmark's support in this initiative.
During the meeting, the parties discussed holding the regime accountable for the displacement of Ukrainian children, and crimes against humanity, torture, and repression were discussed. The Belarusian leader mentioned the trial of Yury Harauski in Switzerland and expressed hope that other countries would follow this example. She also suggested that the Minister appeal to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to initiate an investigation into the crimes of the Lukashenka regime.
Separately, they talked about closing loopholes in sanctions, which allow the regime to trade sanctioned goods through Russia and Central Asian countries. The Belarusian leader noted that visa restrictions must not be applied to Belarusians – on the contrary, the democratic countries should support those fleeing repression.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Lars Løkke Rasmussen also discussed cooperation within the Nordic Council of Ministers, which includes Scandinavian and Baltic countries. “It is a platform where we could develop an effective strategy vis-a-vis Belarus together”, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya said. She thanked the Minister for Denmark's support for the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, which collects evidence of Lukashenka's crimes, as well as the efforts to promote social and cultural initiatives. She also welcomed Denmark's decision to join the group of Friends of Belarus in the OSCE.
The Belarusian leader was received by the Speaker of the Folketing (Parliament), Søren Gade, after which she addressed the Committees on Foreign and European Affairs. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called on Danish MPs to become godparents of political prisoners and create a group of Friends of Democratic Belarus in the parliament, Folketinget. Such groups have already been formed in 23 parliaments in Europe and North America, with their joint meeting scheduled for November 7 in Berlin. Mr. Gade and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the effectiveness of sanctions and the European policy towards Belarus. The Belarusian leader spoke about Russia's attempts to absorb Belarus, as well as the deliberate effects to destroy the Belarusian national identity.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited the Danish Cultural Institute, which, together with the Belarusian Council for Culture, is implementing a major program to support cultural initiatives in Belarus.
In addition, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the leadership of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, which collects evidence of the regime's crimes, as well as with Danish and Belarusian human rights defenders. The latter talked about their preparations to transfer documents to the prosecutors of a number of countries to initiate cases under universal jurisdiction. The Belarusian leader called for the cases to be brought to court so that all perpetrators of crimes know that they will be held to account.
On October 9, the leader spoke before the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and met with its leadership. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to hold an event focused on Belarus, as well as prepare a new report on Belarus for the next session of the Parliamentary Assembly. The same day, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Danish people and diplomatic corps in Copenhagen.
