COOPERATION WITH COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, at her office in Vilnius. They discussed the continued work of the Contact Group for Belarus’ civil society, steps towards developing a roadmap for Belarus’ accession to the Council of Europe, and the Information Point of the Council of Europe in Vilnius. Following the meeting, Ms. Pejčinović Burić and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya held a press briefing.
COOPERATION WITH PACE
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, held meetings in Strasbourg with the Secretary General of PACE, Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bjørn Berge. They discussed priorities in the Council of Europe’s youth policy. As a result, the institution will prioritize applications from Belarusian youth organizations, further integrate Belarusians into European governing bodies, and hold joint events.
DOCUMENTATION OF REGIME’S CRIMES
The UN has appointed members to the Human Rights Expert Group on Belarus. The group now includes the Director of the International Project on Women’s Rights, Susan Bazili (Canada); the Head of the Department of Criminology at the University of Warsaw, Monika Stanisława Platek (Poland); and lawyer and human rights defender Karina Moskalenko (Russia), who has been appointed as the head of the group. The group will document the regime’s crimes, identify the perpetrators, and advance their accountability. The appointment resulted from the decision of the Human Rights Council and the efforts of Belarusian human rights defenders and democratic forces.
BELARUS–ARMENIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, in Vilnius. They discussed the political situation in Belarus, Armenia, and the region, as well as the cooperation of Belarus’ democratic forces with the government, Parliament, and civil society of Armenia. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya requested Yerevan not to extradite Belarusian citizens in Armenia who face persecution in Belarus. After the meeting, Tsikhanouskaya made a statement calling for a European and democratic future for both the Belarusian and Armenian people. The meeting occurred against the backdrop of Yerevan’s decision to abstain from the CSTO events and Prime Minister Pashinyan’s declaration that he will not visit Minsk while Lukashenka is in power.
BELARUSIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES AT UN
The Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Valery Kavaleuski, confirmed that Belarus’ democratic forces could obtain permanent observer status at the UN. This idea was supported by the US senators, who sent a letter to the US Representative to the UN to prepare the application. The letter emphasized that “the United States recognizes Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus and the legitimate representative of the Belarusian people. Thus, the US government cooperates with her Office and those opposing the authoritarian regime of Lukashenka to support a sovereign and democratic future for Belarusians”.
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF VASIL BYKAU’S BIRTH
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Belarusians on the 100th anniversary of Vasil Bykau’s birth. The regime demonstratively ignored the anniversary of the Belarusian writer. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s social media pages shared Bykau’s inspiring quotes about Belarus, independence, and freedom.
FILM SCREENING AND MEETING WITH BELARUSIANS
The premiere of the British documentary film about Belarus, “The Accidental President”, took place in Vilnius. The screening was held outdoors at the former Lukiškės prison and was attended by more than 300 people, including many Belarusians. After the screening, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Franak Viacorka participated in a discussion.
RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE ON BELARUS
On June 19, a webinar was held on Russia’s influence on Ukraine and Belarus, organized by the Warwick Ukraine-Belarus Hub in cooperation with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office. The webinar addressed ways to drag Belarus out of Russia’s influence and the strength of pro-European sentiments among Belarusians. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Chief Advisor, Franak Viacorka, participated in the meeting.
CLOSURE OF BORDER CROSSINGS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya responded to the statement by Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, about the possible closing of the remaining Polish-Belarusian border crossings. The leader emphasized that restrictions must target the dictator, not the people, otherwise, Belarusians will only be able to maintain ties with Russia.
POLITICAL PRISONERS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on international partners to seek access to prisons and the release of all political prisoners. Many have been kept incommunicado for over a year, including Ihar Losik, Maryia Kalesnikava, Maksim Znak, and Viktar Babaryka. Nothing has been heard from Mikalai Statkevich for 500 days. According to human rights activists, there are more than 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus today. This week also marked four years since the arrest of Viktar and Eduard Babaryka.
RUSSIFICATION OF BELARUSIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
The Representative for National Revival of the United Transitional Cabinet, Alina Koushyk, released a statement calling the regime’s decision to name the Belarusian State University Lyceum after Felix Dzerzhinsky an “act of absurdity.” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, attended the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s Luxembourg Solutions Conference and explained why it is even harder for Belarusian scientists to find support than for Russian scientists.
MEDIA
On June 19, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was interviewed by Belsat (Belarus) and talked about her meeting in Vilnius with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić. RFI Radio France Internationale (International) published a report on the development of the roadmap and the integration of Belarus into the Council of Europe. Three pieces were also published in Pozirk (1, 2, 3) (Belarus). On June 20, the Belarusian leader gave a large interview to 1inTV (Armenia), where she shared her views on the CSTO and her vision of genuine political alliances. She was also interviewed by RTL (Luxembourg).
