DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. 21 May was declared the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on Belarusians to hold rallies and pickets and write letters on this day to draw attention to political prisoners: “On this day we should be the force that will encourage the international community to exert more pressure on the regime and demand the release of political prisoners more persistently”.
VISIT TO IRELAND. On 2-4 May Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Ireland. She received the Tipperary Peace Prize, which she dedicated to all political prisoners in Belarus. She also visited the Tipperary Remembrance Arch, a high school, and a cancer treatment center. After Tipperary, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya traveled to Dublin, where she had working meetings with the President, Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Speaker of the Parliament, Speaker of the Senate, Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Belarusian diaspora, as well as gave a speech at the Institute of International and European Relations (IIEA).
THE SITUATION OF VIKTAR BABARYKA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya sent letters to international organizations, as well as the foreign ministries of the European Union member states on the situation of Viktar Babaryka and other political prisoners, who have been kept in complete isolation for the past few months. The letters urged international actors to take measures to release political prisoners and to secure access for families and diplomats to visit them. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also held a meeting with representatives of the UN.
BELARUS-LITHUANIA. On May 4, Lithuania’s working group on migration and public security in Lithuania held its first meeting. The working group includes representatives of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, ByPol, BYSOL, and the Belarusian Human Rights House, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Migration of Lithuania. The meeting focused on humanitarian residence permits and legalization of stay for Belarusians in Lithuania.
REACTION TO SENTENCES. On May 3, the “court” handed down the verdict in the NEXTA case. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented: “This sentence is yet another test for all of us. After all, our democratic movement is built on the following values: No one must be convicted on political grounds. No one must have to go through torture. No one's life must be for sale”.
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY. On 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Belarusian journalists, editors, and bloggers: “I want to thank each and every one of you for the work that you do day and night, both in Belarus and beyond. You have not abandoned your work and continue to work for Belarusians in the country”.
CONSTITUTION DAY MAY 3. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke on the occasion of Constitution Day on May 3 together with Polish and Lithuanian ambassadors at a ceremony in Dublin. “Only after Lukashenka’s regime is gone will we restore the rule of law in Belarus, to guarantee its citizens their constitutional rights”, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya said in her speech.
BELARUSIAN ECONOMY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Advisor on Economic Reforms Aleś Alaсhnovič spoke for Zerkalo.io on the prospects of the post-Lukashenka Belarusian economy and steps to make Belarus a successful country in the future.
STRATEGY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office held a series of meetings with the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, representatives of political parties, and independent experts to develop a joint short-term strategy, including sanctions and assistance to civil society, accountability for the regime’s accomplices, the release of political prisoners, and preventing the stationing of nuclear weapons.
EXPERT DISCUSSION. On May 11, at 17:00 (GMT +3), the Research Center of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Oxford Belarus Observatory will hold an online discussion on Belarus-EU relations. Experts will include Franak Viacorka, Dirk Schubel, Olga Dryndova, and Ryhor Nizhnikau. To join the discussion, register here. Find analytical briefs of previous discussions here.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to Le Monde (France), Der Spiegel (Germany), Welt TV (Germany), Zahidfront (Ukraine), WEB.de (Germany), T-online (Germany), Irish Times (Ireland), Irish Independent (Ireland), Irish Examiner (Ireland).
