“Dear Minister Thordarson, Dear President Jóhannesson, Dear Rector Benediktsson, Dear colleagues and friends,
I am glad to speak to you today on behalf of the Belarusian people. A nation that fights for its freedom and dignity.
It may sound surprising, but Iceland and Belarus are closer than one may think. Our histories have had many things in common since ancient times. It is believed that Torvald Konradsson, the Far Traveller, the missionary from Iceland, first brought Christianity to the Belarusian lands more than a thousand years ago. With Christianity, Torvald has also brought the European culture to Belarus, which became a cornerstone of our identity.
Nine centuries later, this European identity helped our countries to proclaim independence in the same year of 1918.
But I would like to mention one more particular link between our cultures which unites history with the crisis in Belarus today.
It is the story of princess Ragneda of Polatsk, who lived in the late 10th century.
An invading prince killed her father and married her against her will. Ragneda was a proud woman, so one night she took a sword to slay him when he slept, but the prince woke up and tried to kill her, but their son stopped the father.
Ragneda was sent to exile with her son, and she was finally free from her abuser. All Belarusians know the story of Ragneda, but her name itself now seems quite exotic. This is because she was of Nordic origin, and I know that in Iceland, Ragnheiður is a common girl's name today.
These days Belarus is like Ragneda. For a long time, our nation was not free and suffered all kinds of violence – especially in the 20th century with the two world wars, Stalin's repressions, Holocaust and Chernobyl. Unlike Iceland, with its long parliamentary tradition, Belarusians did not have a chance to develop stable democratic institutions, so in the 1990s, the authoritarian regime was established. During all these years, the resistance never stopped, but 2020 changed everything. When the presidential elections were once again falsified, Belarusians no longer wanted to accept it. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets to say “no”. They all rallied against dictatorship, knowing that they always risk being beaten, arrested, tortured, or even killed. And they continue to do so for almost a year already. Right now, the street rallies are less massive and visible, but they are still there, and Belarusian protests can again explode like an Icelandic geyser at any time.
Each group of Belarusian society is represented in this uprising — there are doctors, students, athletes, artists, miners, priests, students, the retired, the people with disabilities. But the face of our revolution is Belarusian women who rebel against oppression like Ragneda of Polatsk. The difference, however, is that Belarusians do not take a sword this time. We decided to oppose violence rationally and creatively. But non-violent resistance does not take less courage. Here I want to name three Belarusian women who inspired the nation and the world.
The first is 74-year old Nina Bahinskaya. During one rally, she marched with a white-red-white flag when the policeman blocked her way. But this brave granny said, “I am going for a walk!”, pushed him away gently and continued to march. And on that day, she became a symbol for the whole country.
The second is Maryia Kalesnikava — a musician and my companion during the presidential campaign. After the elections, she was kidnapped and brought to the border with Ukraine to be forced to leave the country. But she jumped out of the car and tore her passport to pieces, choosing to go to prison over emigrating against her will.
The third hero is Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, a democracy activist who was brutally arrested in front of her small children. After months of prison, where she endured torture, she was brought to trial, but she refused to stand up and demanded to “stop this circus”.
These are only three stories among thousands.
Just imagine for a second that it could have been your mom, your grandmother, your sister, or your daughter that went through such intimidation, humiliation, and torture? And what if this happened to your whole family? Your whole nation? I know it’s difficult for you to imagine it as you live in a country with long democratic traditions, but Belarusians want to live in democracy too, and they ask Iceland to support them in this desire.
Belarusians demonstrate incredible courage and dignity, but the regime's terror has not stopped. Every day we hear about arrests and abuse, and the thing that worries me the most is that you almost get used to it. But I refuse to accept it as usual, and so do all Belarusians. I am thankful to Iceland that also refuses to consider such things acceptable. The pressure on the illegitimate regime must continue to ensure the liberation of all political prisoners and the mediated negotiations that will lead to new free and fair elections. I’d also like to thank Iceland for co-establishing an International accountability platform that will help end impunity and bring perpetrators to justice.
It is important to remember that Belarusians not only fight against the dictatorship, but we also build the new democratic Belarus already today. Therefore I call Iceland to support the initiatives of civic society. The financial support is crucial for Belarusian human rights defenders, independent media, legal defense efforts, local civic initiatives and activists, striking committees, and emerging professional associations (athletes, cultural workers, and others).
Since I am here at the University of Iceland, I’d like to ask for financial assistance to students and academics expelled from Belarusian universities for political reasons. Allowing them to study here, in Iceland, would be a sign of solidarity and investment in the future.
Iceland proves that what matters for a country to be safe and prosperous is not the size or resources but the free and developed society.
And I am sure that Belarus has great potential for it too. Takk fyrir!”.
