PACE RESOLUTION ON BELARUS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. As the high point of her speech, she invited the Council of Europe to include future democratic Belarus in its activities. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also participated in debates following the report on Belarus presented by Kimmo Kiljunen, a member of the Finnish Parliament and PACE. After collective discussions, PACE members adopted a resolution on Belarus. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s team explained why this resolution is important.
VISIT TO STRASBOURG. During her visit to Strasbourg, the Belarusian leader met with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović-Burić, and the new President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theodoros Rousopoulos. With the Secretary-General, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed the work of the Contact Group, whose two-year plan includes internships, exchanges for youth, training for journalists and lawyers, and assistance in drafting legislation for democratic Belarus. In her conversation with the PACE President, the Belarusian leader proposed appointing a permanent rapporteur on Belarus and establishing a delegation for relations with democratic Belarus. The parties agreed on further efforts to include Belarus’ democratic forces in the activities of PACE. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s team also met with PACE rapporteur Paul Galles, who agreed on the need to organize a conference on the legalization of stay for Belarusians abroad.
SHAM ELECTION. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Senior Political Advisor, Alexander Dabravolski, explained why the “single voting day” constitutes a sham election and why Belarusians should refrain from participating in this political farce: “Instead of a fair election, you get to choose from regime-approved people who can only care about their superior authorities. Your participation will only enable them to pretend that they were elected. We are facing a sham election, and everybody already knows its outcome. There will be a day in the future when our actions will culminate in a change. For now, one definitive action we can take is to not participate in this deception.
BELARUS-LITHUANIA. A meeting took place at the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs between the Belarusian leader and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis. The politicians discussed the issues faced by Belarusians regarding the legalization of stay in Lithuania and potential new restrictions to be discussed in the Lithuanian Seimas in spring. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Lithuania for the decision to extend the validity period of humanitarian residence permits for Belarusians from one to three years. The leader emphasized that restrictions against Belarusians and Russians should not be equated, as it only plays into the hands of the regime. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also conveyed proposals from the Office, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the National Anti-Crisis Management regarding accountability for the regime and sanctions against its representatives.
BELARUS-GERMANY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Ambassador of Germany, Cornelius Zimmermann, at her Office in Vilnius. Both parties discussed their stances regarding the sham election scheduled by the regime for February. They also discussed cooperation between the EU, Germany, and Belarusian democratic institutions. The conversation focused on mechanisms for holding Lukashenka and his accomplices accountable. Towards the end of the meeting, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed organizing cultural events in Vilnius in collaboration with the German Embassy.
WORK WITH THE DIASPORA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced the Third Conference of the Belarusian Diaspora on March 23-24, 2024, in Prague. She highlighted that the conference will provide Belarusians with an offline platform to discuss current issues, identify ways to address them, and talk about matters that concern civil society.
Additionally, on January 24, the Belarusian leader held her first call with the Belarusian diaspora in Cyprus. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed gratitude for their civic activism and advocacy for the interests of Belarusians on the political stage in Cyprus. During the dialogue, they discussed possible ways to promote the Belarusian agenda in the country.
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, along with representatives of Libereco and the People’s Embassies of Belarus, held an online meeting with the First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf. During the conversation, he shared that he had taken the patronage over Dzmitry Halavach, a political prisoner and Tor Band musician sentenced to 9 years in prison in Belarus. The leader of Scotland became the 400th symbolic godparent in the international campaign to support Belarusian political prisoners.
ANNIVERSARY OF BELARUSIAN LANGUAGE STATE STATUS. On the anniversary of the Belarusian language obtaining its state status, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Chief Advisor, Franak Viacorka, urged Belarusians to use their native language more often: “Even now, when the Belarusian language is in another decline and state policy tries to push it out of the public sphere, the Belarusian language continues to sprout. We should use the Belarusian language every day. You can do it with your friends, with your family, or write online in Belarusian. You just need to try. Expanding the use of the Belarusian language is what every Belarusian should do”.
SCIENCE DAY. On the occasion of Science Day, marked in Belarus on the first Sunday of January, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, addressed her Belarusian colleagues. She emphasized the importance of education as one of the key social institutions in today’s world and explained why science cannot fully develop while Belarus is ruled by the current political regime. In addition, Tatiana Shchyttsova announced that, in collaboration with the Free Belarusian University, a program will be launched for repressed Belarusian scientists to defend doctoral dissertations and habilitations.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to various media outlets, including AP (International), CNBC (USA), DW (International), Telex (Hungary), Pozirk (1, 2) (Belarus), Radio Svaboda (Belarus), New Belarus in Lithuania (Belarus), and Radio Unet (Belarus).
