VISIT TO LATVIA. On November 27-28, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Riga. The Belarusian leader held talks with the President, the Prime Minister, the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, the Speaker of the Parliament, the Mayor of Riga, the parliament group “For a Democratic Belarus”, and the Belarusian diaspora. During the meetings, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya raised issues of the legalization of stay for Belarusians, recognition of expired passports as valid, the border situation, the need to maintain passenger traffic, support for media and civil society, European perspective for Belarus, and more. She also spoke about the project of the new Belarusian passport and asked for support for the initiative.
In Riga, the Belarusian leader visited the National Library, where she handed over the book “Belarus” by Uladzimir Arlou. It will be exhibited in the central hall, along with several other books by Belarusian authors. She also visited the exhibition of Viachka Tselesh, a Belarusian artist and public figure who lives in Latvia.
BRIEFING FOR AMBASSADORS. On November 29, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a briefing in Vilnius for ambassadors from 30 countries. The event was attended by the EU delegation and ambassadors from Lithuania, the United States, Belgium, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Latvia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Poland, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan, Armenia, Israel, Moldova, and Canada. During the meeting, participants discussed the support for Belarusian political prisoners and repressed individuals, as well as the legalization of stay and issuance of alien passports. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the progress with the new Belarusian passport project and the recent mass searches in the apartments of democratic movement activists.
REGIME’S SHAM ELECTION. The Belarusian leader proposed 5 ways for Belarusians to react here and now to the so-called “Single voting day”. She also emphasized that neither Belarusians nor the international community will recognize the results of the sham election scheduled for 2024.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I urge you to express your disagreement with this electoral farce. I am aware that the crackdown in Belarus hasn’t left us many safe ways to continue resistance. But here’s what each of you can do right now:
- Avoid involvement in anything the regime does.
- Use independent media and resources for obtaining truthful information. However, remember about safety – use VPN and avoid leaving digital footprint.
- Do not let the regime deceive you, your loved ones, or friends. Make sure they know why what Lukashenka has announced is a SHAM ELECTION.
- Collect evidence of the crimes committed by the regime and its henchmen. They must know they will be held accountable for their actions.
- Find creative ways to express yourselves: music, cinema, art, satire, and irony. Even speaking Belarusian can be a way to express dissent”.
WAY TO FREEDOM CONFERENCE IN KYIV. On November 29, the Way to Freedom Conference took place in Kyiv, organized by the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment Foundation in partnership with the democratic forces of Belarus. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at the opening of the Conference: “We may have different political views or different paths, but we share a common goal – freedom in Belarus. This is the goal that inspires us and gives us strength to continue our struggle. At every meeting, in every speech, I call on the world to support Ukraine, including volunteer fighters from Belarus. We must stay united and support each other. Only together, by pooling our forces and resources, can we prevail”.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office and the United Transitional Cabinet were also represented at the Conference by Anatoli Liabedzka and Henadzi Manko.
BELARUS-UKRAINE. Belarusian democratic forces continue to strengthen relations with Ukraine. Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for the Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, and Coordinator of the People’s Embassies, Mikhail Rubin, held talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Office Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak. During the meeting, Mr. Liabedzka, Mr. Rubin, and Mr. Podolyak discussed a number of issues relevant to Belarus: the possibility of appointing a Ukrainian special representative for Belarus, joint resistance to Russian aggression, as well as problems faced by Belarusian volunteer fighters, activists, diaspora in Ukraine, and ways to solve them.
BELARUS-GERMANY. Germany started issuing alien passports for Belarusians residing in the country. This is the result of joint efforts by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the Belarusian diaspora in Germany.
BELARUS-EU. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met at her Office in Vilnius with Ambassador Dirk Schuebel, responsible for the Eastern Partnership. They discussed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s participation in the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on December 10, as well as preparations for the second meeting of the Consultative Group between the EU and democratic Belarus. They also talked about EU support for Belarusians’ European aspirations and the project of the new Belarusian passport.
FREEDOM FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS. On December 2, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisors, Anatoli Liabedzka and Franak Viacorka, participated in a hearing of the Coordination Council on the strategy for releasing political prisoners. The hearing centered around the possibilities for negotiations, ways to pressure the regime, and diplomatic ways that could contribute to the release of political prisoners.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, along with her daughter Ahniya, joined the Advent Calendar initiative by Freedom Postcards in support of political prisoners. Until December 25, the initiative invites everyone to do simple tasks, like write a letter to a political prisoner, share poems from behind bars, or just listen to music created by imprisoned Belarusians. The calendar is available at the link.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “It is curiosity about everything new and unknown that can help involve your children in good deeds. I told Ahniya about the Freedom Postcards Advent Calendar. And today, we tried together to complete one of these tasks – make an origami tulip. I was happy to spend time with my daughter and show an example that doing good deeds is not difficult. Dear friends, join the month of solidarity with Freedom Postcards and complete the Calendar tasks!”
YOUNG DIPLOMATS ADDRESS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a lecture titled “Between Geopolitics and Values: Belarus, Russia, and the European Union” at the Academy of Young Diplomats. Over 100 young leaders and activists from more than 40 countries listened to her lecture.
CRACKDOWN IN BELARUS. Another wave of mass searches and property arrests occurred in Belarus. Security forces targeted and continue to target representatives of the Coordination Council, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, the National Anti-Crisis Management, the People’s Embassies, and the families of their members, as well as friends of representatives of other democratic organizations.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on the crackdown: “The regime is harassing Belarusians who work every day for the sake of a change in their country, hunting after them and intimidating their relatives. But the regime’s logic makes every third person in Belarus a terrorist and a criminal. Lukashenka continues to oppress all of us because we do not stop our activities even in exile. They label us terrorists, call us a threat to society, and take our loved ones hostage. But exiled activists are not criminals. The people who continue making Belarus a prison are”.
SLUTSK UPRISING. November 27 marked the anniversary of the Slutsk armed uprising. In both Soviet times and now, this part of Belarusian history has been silenced or outright denied. On this occasion, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya recorded a statement remembering those historical events. “In 1920, Belarusians fought for over a month for their freedom and the right to live in an independent country. Today, Belarus once again faces annexation. Just like 100 years ago, Russia attempts to impose its ideas and values to destroy our right to self-determination. But we have no right to give up in our struggle. If we stop, not only our country will vanish, but also our identity. Belarusians, defend your native culture, language, and history. This will go down in history as our way to resist the imperial ‘Russian world’”.
INTERNATIONAL WORK OF THE OFFICE. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, recorded a video address to shed light on the work of the Foreign Policy Department of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office. In particular, Mr. Kuchynski spoke on the significance of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s November visit to Germany.
EDUCATION IN BELARUS. The regime in Belarus had announced three significant steps in education for 2024. Tatiana Shchyttsova, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, commented on these plans: “The regime aims to collect more money from Belarusians and relieve universities of responsibility for the quality of education. The isolation from the international academic community, the dismissal of many teachers after 2020, and the lack of autonomy in our universities limit the chances of Belarusians to receive quality education without leaving the country”.
It is worth mentioning that every month, the Office’s Education Team publishes the Asveta digest, covering new and relevant international support programs for Belarusian students and researchers. This resource provides numerous opportunities to pursue quality education in various fields.
CONVERSATIONS WITH BELARUSIANS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held her weekly personal conversations with Belarusians to discuss the issues faced by the people both in Belarus and beyond.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to LTV7 (Latvia), LSM (Latvia), TVNET (Latvia), and CNN Portugal.
