On October 14, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke in Warsaw at an event titled “Transnational Repression by the Lukashenka Regime: A Coordinated International Response is Needed”, held as part of the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Leanid Marozau, also attended the event.
Two new studies were presented: the latest iSANS report on the evolution of transnational repression and the “Wanted by Dictator: Red Notice State” report, prepared by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in partnership with BELPOL and with support from Cyber Partisans.
In her speech, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya identified six tools the Lukashenka regime uses to target people outside the country.
- “Extremist” and “terrorist” lists. The regime adds journalists, activists, and human rights defenders to these lists to create obstacles when they cross borders, apply for visas, or open bank accounts.
- Blackmail through relatives in Belarus. Security forces may detain family members to pressure exiled opponents, recruit them, or force them to act against their will.
- Trials in absentia. People are tried without being present in court. Hundreds of Belarusians in exile have already been convicted, with their property confiscated.
- Deprivation of documents. The ban on renewing documents in consulates has left thousands without valid identification. This makes it harder for them to regularize their status and puts additional pressure on migration services.
- Interpol and international wanted notices. The regime disguises political persecution as ordinary criminal cases and exploits international mechanisms to seek the extradition of Belarusians.
- Digital threats. Bots, trolls, and regime agents operate online to infiltrate communities, threaten people, and disrupt their work.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I urge you to put this issue on the agenda, strengthen cooperation with Belarus’s democratic movement, and establish links between us and your institutions, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations. Countering transnational repression requires full coordination”.
