ANNIVERSARY OF THE DETENTION OF SIARHEI TSIKHANOUSKI. On May 29, the anniversary of the detention of Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya recorded a video address: “I dream of coming back home and living with Siarhei and our kids in a free Belarus.”
For the anniversary of Siarhei Tsikhanouski’s detention, the A Country to Live in team released a video (in Russian) in which his family, friends, and colleagues read his poems. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya read his poem titled “To My Wife.”
GLOBSEC FORUM. On May 29-30, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Bratislava, where she spoke at the GLOBSEC Forum. During the visit, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of Slovakia, the Slovak Foreign Minister, and the Foreign Minister of Northern Macedonia.
EVENT FOR BELARUSIANS. On June 14, the Jadnajsia! (Unite!) open event will be held in Warsaw, organized by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskayaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, and the Belarusian Youth Hub. It aims to gather Belarusians and civil society organizations and initiatives together and create an opportunity to discuss pressing issues and build connections. It will be a place where Belarusians can meet each other and find like-minded people. Participants will be able to share ideas and learn about civil society projects and initiatives.
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY. On June 1, International Children's Day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Belarusians: “Our children should have a real childhood. The kind where they run after each other while playing outside, not in military lessons. Where they only see guns in computer games, not because the police visited their school to demonstrate machine guns and pistols. Where in kindergartens they sculpt plasticine or draw, not carry dolls on stretchers imitating military action. Where in schools our children learn in math or literature classes instead of watching propaganda videos.”
VISIT TO KRAKOW. On 3-4 June, "Culture in Exile" events were held, aimed to promote support and solidarity with Belarusian artists. On June 4, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered an address on prospects for a free Belarus and visited the National Museum in Krakow and the Saint Mary's Basilica.
EDUCATION IN BELARUS. After a reformed centralized exam was held for school leavers, the National Institute for Knowledge Control (RIKZ) failed to even correctly calculate the scores. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented: “Yet another absolutely obvious mistake, but officials not only fail to address it but also try to convince people that they are the ones making mistakes. This happens because no government agency is accountable to the public. What officials care about is reporting to the superior authorities and protecting themselves, rather than supporting citizens and defending their rights.”
BELARUS-GERMANY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received in her office in Vilnius Robin Wagener, a Bundestag MP. The parties discussed further cooperation with the parliamentary communities of Germany and Europe.
EXPERT DISCUSSIONS. On June 8, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office and the Oxford Belarus Observatory will hold a panel discussion, “Resilient autocracies: what can we learn about their defeat?” Register at the link to participate in the discussion. You can read the analytical briefs from previous webinars here.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to The Times (UK), BelSAT (Belarus), Rzeczpospolita (Poland), and Euronews (International).
