Today, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya arrived in Strasbourg to address the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament's governing political body. Representatives of more than 50 countries, including the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, took part in the meeting.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the Committee to establish a governing committee on relations with Belarus, which should include representatives of the Council of Europe, the democratic forces of Belarus, and the civil society. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya presented a letter of support for the initiative signed by the key organizations of the Belarusian civil society in the fields of law and human rights, independent media, and youth.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya suggested that the body provide a platform for cooperation between Belarus and the Council of Europe in a range of areas. The strategic objective of the initiative is to lay grounds for Belarus’ full-fledged membership in the organization.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s outlined a number of directions for the cooperation between the Council of Europe and democratic Belarus to develop in already now:
– elaborating reforms,
– transition period,
– developing and implementing training programs for human rights defenders, medics, women, youth, lawyers, and cultural activists.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated that the death penalty will be banned immediately after the democratic change. Death penalty is the reason why Belarus had been expelled from the Council of Europe. The national leader of Belarus spoke about the criminal case against Belarusian partisans, who face the death penalty.
“There should be more Council of Europe in Belarus and more Belarus in the Council of Europe. We have been isolated because of the actions of the Lukashenka regime. For many years, he has been keeping our Belarus in isolation. We are determined to restore the good name of Belarus, and have it back on the map of Europe”, – said Ms. Tsikhanouskaya.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s address prompted a broad response from the representatives of the Committee. An unprecedented 27 speakers reacted, speaking in support of Tsikhanouskaya’s proposal or asking questions.
A representative of Ukraine also spoke. In response, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya talked about what Belarusians do to support Ukraine. She told about the Belarusian military volunteer Ivan “Brest”, killed several days ago fighting for Ukraine.
Answering questions, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also discussed the efforts inside and outside the country, and stressed the importance of supporting Belarusian civil initiatives and accepting Belarusian refugees. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said that negotiations with the regime must not start until all political prisoners are free.
