POLITICAL PRISONERS. On March 8th Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the briefing near the mural of Aleś Bialiatski in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Lithuania. The briefing was dedicated to the incommunicado regime. Lukashenka’s regime has been keeping Siarhei Tsikhanouski incommunicado for a year already. The participants held posters and photos of political prisoners, who, like Siarhei Tsikhanouski, are being held in the incommunicado regime. Speaking to the press, Tsikhanouskaya appealed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and world leaders: “Demand an end to the cruel practice of incommunicado in Belarusan prisons. It is in your power to save people’s lives. And this is not a political issue. This is a humanitarian issue! Political prisoners must be provided with access to qualified medical care, communication with lawyers and families”.
VISIT TO BULGARIA. On March 4-5, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had her first working visit to Bulgaria. The Belarusian leader held meetings with the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice-Minister of Justice, Mayor of Sofia, Speaker and Bulgarian MP. At the meetings the topics of issuing Schengen visas to Belarusians in Minsk, simplification of legalization of Belarusians in Bulgaria, cooperation in international organizations, as well as mechanisms of bringing the regime to responsibility were discussed. An agreement was also reached to create a group of friends of democratic Belarus in the Parliament of Bulgaria.
In addition, Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Committee on European Affairs of the Parliament and gave a lecture at the University of Sofia, which was attended by about 200 people.
PARTICIPATION IN THE CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE’S PARTY. On March 6-7 Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Bucharest and participated in the Congress of the European People’s Party. Also together with the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola she made addressed the members of the European People’s Party regarding the situation with Belarusian political prisoners – and called on politicians to become “godfathers” for political prisoners.
During the Congress, Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the European Commission, Prime Minister of Greece, Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Croatia, Foreign Minister of Italy, Foreign Minister of Moldova, Estonian parliamentarians.
Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu. During the meeting they discussed the legalization of Belarusians in Romania, the issuance of foreigner’s passports, as well as Schengen visas for Belarusians inside the country. Toward the end of the meeting, Tsikhanouskaya and Odobescu talked about rehabilitation programs in Romania for children of repressed people.
GROUPS OF FRIENDS OF DEMOCRATIC BELARUS. Chairman of the NATO PA Michał Szczerba became the head of the group “For Democratic Belarus” in the Polish Parliament. The decision to create the group was made back in January, during Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s working trip to Warsaw. Anatol Liabedzka, Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on parliamentary cooperation and Constitutional reform, said: “The first meeting of the group was held on March 6. Now on the agenda are hearings on Belarus at the joint session of the Committees on Foreign Affairs of the Sejm, the Senate of Poland and the group “For Democratic Belarus”.
APPEAL TO BELARUSIAN WOMEN. On International Women’s Day on March 8th, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya recorded an appeal to Belarusians. The main topic of the address was violence against women. Tsikhanouskaya noted that violence is often hushed up, but it should be talked about – anyone could be in the place of Liza, who died in Warsaw. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Dear women who shared their personal stories using the hashtag #хопіцьгвалціць (#stop_assaulting_us) – thank you for your courage. I want to remind each of you who have faced violence – it is not your fault. Violence is always the fault of the perpetrator. And I want to thank you for supporting and advocating for each other when you see injustice. Never doubt your power and your ability to make the whole world hear your voice”.
KALINOUSKI REGIMENT. On March 9 th, the second anniversary of the founding of the Kalinouski Regiment, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Belarusan volunteers in Ukraine: “Dear fighters, let me express my respect for your courage and heroism. Your fight symbolizes how love for freedom and the pursuit of justice unite people even in the most dreadful times. Words of support may seem trivial given that you risk your very life, the most precious thing you have, every day. But I want you to know that for Belarusians, the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment is much more than just a military unit. You embody the courage and dignity of our people and prove that Belarusians are ready to take action – and even sacrifice their lives – to make a change. Take care of yourselves and return from your missions alive and well”.
BELARUSAN BUSINESS ABROAD. The first Belarusian Business Forum in the USA, organized by the Association of Belarusan Business Abroad (ABBA), took place in Washington. Aleś Alachnovič, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on economic reforms and Vice-president of the Association, recorded a video in which he shared the results of the event.
In total, more than 150 people participated in the event. Among them were Belarusian businesspersons from the USA and Canada, representatives of the US Department of State, Department of Commerce and USAID. The result of the Forum was the signing of the agreement between the Association of Belarusan Business Abroad (ABBA) and the Association of Belarusians in Canada.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELARUSIANS. The team of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office reminds about the educational scholarship for Belarusians, which can be obtained at MCI University (Management Center Innsbruck). The program under the patronage of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was launched in October and compensates €11.000 for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in more than 10 specialties, including business management, entrepreneurship, law, tourism and engineering.
Details and useful information about the scholarship, its terms and conditions, and academic programs can be found at the link. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2024.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to Current Time (International), ARD (Germany), BS-TBS (Japan), CBC (Canada), BNR (Bulgaria), Dutch TV (Netherlands), Le Temps (Switzerland).
Also, Tsikhanouskaya issued a joint article with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic-Buric. In the column, the politicians talk about the values that define the European society, about the importance of the Council of Europe for Belarus, and also discuss the reasons why Belarusians are important partners for international organizations.
