ASSISTANCE TO BELARUSIAN VOLUNTEER FIGHTERS. Thanks to the support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s team delivered five vehicles to the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment. Its command announced they are already being used for combat tasks.
GATHERING OF BELARUSIAN INITIATIVES. On June 14, an open event for Belarusians took place in Warsaw, which was organized by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, and the Belarusian Youth Hub. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the opening of the event. About 400 people and more than 20 Belarusian civil organizations participated in the event which also featured 4 panel discussions. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the participants, saying: “Everywhere Belarusians go, they bring love and mutual assistance”.
VISIT TO ESTONIA. On June 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Tallinn, where she met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, the Speaker of the Parliament, the parliamentary group of Friends of Belarus headed by Urmas Reinsalu, and the Belarusian diaspora. As a result of the visit, a group of Friends of Democratic Belarus was established in the Parliament of Estonia, which intends to hold an Estonian-Belarusian conference in the fall of this year. The meetings focused on assistance to Belarusian volunteers, residence permits for Belarusians, and joint events during the NATO summit and the UN General Assembly. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also spoke at the General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches and called for support for Belarusian political prisoners. Prayers for the release and health of political prisoners will be held in churches across Europe.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR AID REGIME. On June 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her Advisor on Legal Affairs Kristina Rikhter took part in the international conference “Responsibility of Lukashenka’s Regime for Crimes Against Humanity and Migrant Crisis: Prospects for International Justice”, which was held under the patronage of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Prime Minister of Lithuania. In her speech, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya called for considering all possible mechanisms of bringing the regime to justice, from universal jurisdiction to regional tribunals, and developing a united strategy for their use. Kristina Rikhter talked about the conference and its outcomes.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. June 18 marked the anniversary of the detention of Viktar and Eduard Babaryka. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reminded Belarusians and international partners that nothing has been heard from Viktar Babaryka since April 25. “I have always been inspired by the example of such strong Belarusian families as the Babarykas, Kalesnikaus, Losiks, and others. It is thanks to their stories that you believe in true love, faith in each other, and mutual assistance,” said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on Putin's announcement regarding the delivery of the first batch of nuclear weapons to Belarus: “Neither we nor our international partners have any reliable information. What they want is to scare Belarusians and force Western countries to stop supporting Ukraine and negotiate with Lukashenka and Putin. Our common responsibility is for Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Western nations to prevent nuclear weapons, Russian bases, and Russian troops from being stationed in Belarus. To preserve Belarus's sovereignty and stop it from becoming Russia’s protectorate”.
ILO RESOLUTION ON BELARUS. The International Labor Organization invoked Article 33 of its Statute against Lukashenka's regime for systematic violations of human rights and repression against workers. The decision was supported by an absolute majority, as more than 300 delegates voted to adopt restrictive measures against the regime. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented: “The International Labour Organization adopted a resolution on Belarus, calling on member states to review their relations with the Lukashenka regime. The ILO's resolution makes perfect sense in view of systematic violations of the rights of Belarusian workers and repression. Undoubtedly, practical steps must follow the resolution”.
MEMORY OF HEROES. On June 14, during her visit to Warsaw, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented nine Honour and Dignity medals to families of Belarusian soldiers who died in Ukraine. Several medals were handed to comrades of the fallen Kastus Kalinouski Regiment warriors. Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the Cabinet, and Alina Koushyk, Representative of the Cabinet for National Revival, also took part in the ceremony.
BELARUSIAN CINEMATOGRAPHY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Belarusians to support independent Belarusian cinematography by watching movies on the 'Vodblisk' online cinema. This is a new project created by the team of the 'Northern Lights' festival. 'Vodblisk' features modern independent Belarusian films, as well as interviews with Belarusian filmmakers. Most movies have subtitles in English.
BOOK LAUNCH. On June 22, at 16:00 (London time), the Research Center of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Oxford Belarus Observatory will present the book “Belarus in XXI century: Between Dictatorship and Democracy”, which features a foreword by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Register to join the presentation online.
POLICY BRIEF. The Oxford Belarus Observatory, in partnership with the Research Center of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office and the Institute for Global Sustainable Development of the University of Warwick, compiled a policy brief, “Belarus’ political prisoners: what should be done to free them?”. The policy brief examines the current situation surrounding Belarusian political prisoners and the ways to secure their release.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to BBC (International), Postimees (Estonia), ERR (Estonia), Delfi (Estonia), HN online (Slovakia), and Deutschlandfunk (Germany).
