Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has completed a working visit to Berlin. She held meetings with the State Secretary of the Federal Chancellery, the leadership of the Federal Foreign Office, leaders of the main political parties in the Bundestag. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also joined the diaspora activities and attended the premiere of the documentary film “Courage” by Belarusian director Aliaksei Paluyan. German politicians are united in their support of Belarusians – representatives of the authorities, civil society, and the expert community are ready to assist the democratic forces of Belarus and to increase pressure on the regime.
The main results of the visit were:
1. Germany will support sanctions against Lukashenka, his associates, and major businesses. The fourth package of sanctions has been completed and will be published in the coming weeks. It is also reported that work on the fifth package is underway. Armin Laschet, the head of the ruling CDU party, followed the need to maximize pressure on the regime and advocated the imposition of new, broader sanctions.
2. Media support programs will be expanded. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was informed that a separate Belarusian program of Deutsche Welle was launched on YouTube, Telegram, and the website at her recommendation. It is planned to expand the staff of the media, to employ Belarusian freelance journalists. Germany allocated additional 2.9 million euros to support independent media in Belarus itself.
3. Assistance to the repressed will be more precise and effective. During the meetings, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed with German politicians programs of assistance to the families of political prisoners, including compensation for the work of lawyers and the transfer. They discussed assistance to human rights defenders and striking workers. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed to increase the number of humanitarian visas issued. Now Germany supports athletes and doctors, grants scholarships to persecuted students.
4. In the Bundestag, all parties support Belarus. The Belarusian leader held bilateral meetings with the leaders of the four largest parties in the Bundestag: CDU, SPD, Free Democratic Party, and Greens.
5. Several dozen political prisoners are placed under the godparenthood of Bundestag parliamentarians. A group of politicians was working to recognize the regime as a terrorist and hold it accountable for crimes against humanity.
6. Germany will investigate the crimes of Lukashenka's regime. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with a group of lawyers who filed a complaint to the Federal Prosecutor of Germany about systematic violence and repression by the regime. The Office of the Federal Prosecutor has already begun examining the case. It is expected that an investigation will follow, which may lead to the conviction of Lukashenka for crimes against humanity.
7. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with two candidates for German Chancellor, Annalena Baerbock and Armin Laschet. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also took part in the Greens Digital Party Congress. “I truly believe that we are on the path to a new chapter in Belarusian history. I am working on this task every day. We can’t let dictators make history because history and future belong to us who dare a new beginning”, said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in her speech.
8. Diasporas will coordinate with the Federal Government on assistance to Belarusians. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora (Razam, People’s Embassies), discussed the organization of relief and medical rehabilitation, support for families of political prisoners, programs for art managers, etc.
9. At the Berlinale, the documentary by Aliaksei Paluyan, “Courage”, about the Belarusian protests, was premiered. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya attended the premiere and participated in a panel discussion on the theme of Belarus together with Svetlana Alexievich.
10. A prayer for political prisoners of Belarus was held. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the church, which symbolically was the meeting place of opponents of the East German regime, and spoke of victims of the regime in Belarus, repressed and political prisoners. There is also a photographic exhibition around the Church with the works of ten Belarusian photographers on the struggle of our people for freedom.
© Ali Ghandtschi / Berlinale 2021
