REGIME ACCOUNTABILITY. During its 55th session, the UN Human Rights Council adopted an important resolution aimed at strengthening accountability mechanisms for human rights violations in Belarus. The document establishes a special group consisting of three independent experts and extends the mandate of the special rapporteur on Belarus for one year. These measures are intended to investigate and document violations committed by the Lukashenka regime and develop recommendations to stop them. The group will investigate serious and ongoing human rights violations, collect evidence of the regime’s crimes, and identify perpetrators based on independent investigations by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Kristina Rikhter, emphasized the importance of the document for holding the regime accountable: “The special group established by the UN, in addition to collecting evidence, has been given a mandate to investigate. This is actually a much stronger mechanism that contributes to holding representatives of the regime accountable for their crimes”.
BELARUS–USA STRATEGIC DIALOGUE On April 4-5, working groups held several meetings within the framework of the Strategic Dialogue, which began its work in December 2023. The parties discussed human rights violations and ways to achieve the release of political prisoners; the activities of the democratic movement and civil society, including the trade union movement; the Russian threat to the independence and sovereignty of Belarus; UN mechanisms that can be used to promote Belarusian issues; sanctions and ways to bring the Lukashenka regime to international accountability for its crimes. Representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya, the Coordination Council, the Belarusian civil society, the expert community, as well as professional associations and human rights initiatives participated in the meetings to represent democratic Belarus or were present as observers. From the American side, the participants included the representatives of the State Department, the Department of the Treasury, the Agency for International Development, and the Department of Labor. The working groups will continue their activities in May 2024 on issues of media support and countering propaganda, as well as issues of culture, education, national identity, sports, and activities of the Belarusian diaspora in the United States.
DISCUSSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION. At the initiative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, on April 3, the European Humanities University held a discussion, “Topical Challenges and New Trends in Higher Education: Towards Education Reform in Belarus”. The discussion was organized in partnership with the Estonian Embassy in Lithuania and moderated by Ms. Shchyttsova.
AID FOR KASTUS KALINOUSKI REGIMENT. A delegation of volunteers from Finland visited the command staff of the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment and handed over drones from the Belarusian diaspora. Assistance in delivering the equipment was organized by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the United Transitional Cabinet. The Head of the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Ukraine, Henadzi Manko, coordinated the process. Besides the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, aid was handed over to units such as the Third Assault Brigade, “Kraken”, “Azov”, and others.
DIGITAL SECURITY FOR BELARUSIANS. In recent years, the regime’s security forces have been monitoring social media to target Belarusians. To help people avoid potential persecution, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s team released a guide on how to protect their activities in Telegram.
BELARUS-NORWAY. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. The discussions focused on the situation with political prisoners and the recent developments in Belarus.
CONVERSATIONS WITH BELARUSIANS. On April 3, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had her weekly personal conversations with Belarusians to discuss the issues they face both in Belarus and other countries.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was interviewed by Euronews (International), CT24 Česká television (Czech Republic), 24 Hours (Bulgaria), BNT News (Bulgaria), and the Bulgarian office of Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe (Bulgaria).
