On June 5, Dzmitry Sarokin was reported to have suddenly died in police custody in Lida. The tragedy occurred on Thursday, June 1, and the regime is still trying to cover up its wrongdoing. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expressed her condolences to Dzmitry's family and friends.
CIVIL SOCIETY GATHERING. On June 14, Warsaw will host the Jadnajsia event organized by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, and the Belarusian Youth Hub. Every Belarusian is welcome to attend the event. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the nation on this occasion: “It is important that instead of losing touch and distancing from each other, we seek like-minded people and build new communities. Meet people and join them in creating projects, initiatives and sharing ideas. On June 14, you will have such an opportunity. We are organizing an open event for Belarusians in Warsaw”.
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR REGIME ACCOMPLICES. On June 12, an international conference “Responsibility of Lukashenka’s Regime for Crimes Against Humanity and Migrant Crisis: Prospects for International Justice” will be held in Vilnius, organized by the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania in partnership with the Law and Democracy Centre. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and representatives of the Office and the United Transitional Cabinet will join the conference.
VISIT TO AUSTRIA. On June 5-7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Vienna, where she met with the President, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for European Affairs, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the US Ambassador to the OSCE. The Belarusian leader also spoke at a human rights event in Vienna, where she emphasized the regime's intensification of repression under the pretext of war, noting that existing international mechanisms have so far failed in preventing the situation in Belarus from worsening.
CONVERSATION WITH KASTUS KALINOUSKI REGIMENT. On June 7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a conversation with representatives of the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment and MPs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
VISIT TO BRUSSELS. On June 8, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, spoke together at the Women Political Leaders Summit. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that “Belarusian women persist in their ongoing struggle that began in 2020. It is inevitable that Belarusians defeat the dictatorial regime of Lukashenka. It is a matter of time and our solidarity that Ukraine wins over Russian revanchism. It is a challenge and duty for all of us to make democracy prevail over tyranny”.
MEMORY OF HEROES. On June 9, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited an exhibition in the Lithuanian Seimas in memory of Belarusians who fought and died in Ukraine. The event started with a moment of silence, followed by a medal award ceremony. The Belarusian leader presented the Honor and Dignity awards on behalf of the United Transitional Cabinet to the families of Belarusian heroes who died in Ukraine: Miraslau Lazouski (Mysh), Vasil Parfiankou (Syabro), Ivan Marchuk (Brest), Zmitser Rubasheuski (Hans), and Pavel Suslau (Volat).
REACTION TO DAM EXPLOSION IN UKRAINE. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the people of Ukraine: “I cannot even imagine what you are going through right now. Stay strong”. She also condemned Russia's actions, saying, “Russia's actions yesterday were yet another clear signal to the world of the threat it poses to all living beings. Such actions by Russia will not be overlooked by the international community. Russia must fully answer for its crimes in Ukraine, and the cost will indeed be high”.
BELARUS-LATVIA. With the mediation of Vitali Malchanau, representative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office, and Anatoli Liabedzka, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor for the Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Latvia’s Saeima (Parliament) established a group For Democratic Belarus.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL. On June 6, the UN General Assembly said a decisive 'no' to the Lukashenka regime in the UN Security Council election. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented: “153 states voted against the dictatorship and lawlessness in Belarus. This is what the international community thinks of how the Lukashenka regime violates human rights and international law, starts armed aggression against Ukraine, and places alien nuclear weapons on the territory of our country. Belarus will definitely be elected to the UN Security Council – as long as we free it from dictatorship, unwanted military presence, and dependence on foreign interests, and build a democratic country”.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELARUSIANS. The Office’s education team released a new issue of the Asveta digest which covers international opportunities for Belarusian students and researchers.
CONVERSATIONS WITH BELARUSIANS. On Monday, June 5, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held her weekly personal conversations with Belarusians. She and her team discussed issues faced by people in different towns and cities in Belarus and abroad.
OFFICE VOLUNTEERS. On June 9, volunteers of the Office met online with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Press Secretary Anna Krasulina. At the meeting, she talked about the specifics of working with the media: why this work is important, what the Office is doing in this direction, how Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's interviews help Belarus, and more.
EXPERT DISCUSSIONS. On June 8, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office and the Oxford Belarus Observatory held an expert discussion on the topic: “Resilient autocracies: what can we learn about their defeat?” Read analytical briefs on the results of previous webinars at the link.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to EUObserver (International), Monocle (UK), Pravda (Slovakia), SME (Slovakia), Dennik N (Slovakia), RTVS (Slovakia), Podkasty (1, 2) (Slovakia).
