Ahead of the New Belarus Conference 2024, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya summarizes the work of the democratic forces of Belarus over the past year. Various areas of activity are reflected, including international work, education, culture, assistance to volunteer fighters in Ukraine, cooperation with diasporas, and more. Find details below.
International cooperation
In her speeches, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has consistently emphasized that our presence on the international stage is the only way to convey the voice of free Belarus to the international community. Most importantly, such presence gives us a real chance to be heard.
International work has been one of the priority areas of the Office’s activities. In 2023, the European Parliament and the Bundestag passed resolutions on Belarus, the US Senate adopted the Belarus Democracy Act, and the Belarus–USA Strategic Dialogue held several meetings. The European Council issued conclusions on Belarus, while the European Parliament signed the Letter of Intent on Cooperation with the democratic forces. Bills on democracy in Belarus were presented in the US House of Representatives and other legislative bodies.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the high-level week of the UN General Assembly and held several meetings with high-ranking politicians. As a result of the United Transitional Cabinet’s petitions, the regime has lost its monopoly on representing Belarus’s interests in the UN. The official Minsk candidate was rejected in the election to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The Belarusian leader considers this work a particular achievement.
The UN Human Rights Council has resolved to establish a new investigative body to hold Lukashenka and his associates accountable for their crimes and extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
In the autumn of 2023, the group of “Friends of Democratic Belarus”, composed of OSCE participating states, was announced. In the spring of 2024, the Cabinet’s representatives were invited to the G7 Summit, marking the first time Belarus and its interests were represented at such an event. Also in the spring, the Letter of Intent on Cooperation with the European Parliament was signed, becoming the first document formalizing cooperation between the democratic forces of Belarus and an official foreign political body. The new documents call for the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and the Coordination Council to be recognized by the international community as representatives of the Belarusian people.
Personal conversations, events in exile, and People’s Embassies
The Office has been regularly communicating with Belarusians in more than 30 countries. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has held around 100 private meetings and participated in personal conversations, responding to over 1,000 personal messages and inquiries.
Many international events have been held which Belarusians participated in or initiated themselves. In March 2024, the 3rd Congress of the Belarusian Diaspora took place in the Czech Republic. In Lithuania, the first joint Declaration on Values and Views was signed and presented to the Seimas. In Ukraine, meetings with members of the Verkhovna Rada have been held with the support of the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Kyiv. Overall, thanks to NGOs and volunteers, much has been done in Ukraine for our common free future.
With the Office’s support, events have been organized by Belarusian organizations and initiatives in exile, such as Chornobyl Way, Night of the Executed Poets, the Freedom Day rally on March 25, and a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster.
With the direct involvement of the People’s Embassies, important work has been done locally to defend Belarusians’ interests. They have been assisting people in obtaining asylum and alien passports and ceasing persecution through Interpol. They have provided consultations on various issues to Belarusians in 15 EU countries. Notably, they have secured the teaching of the Belarusian language in Swedish schools, raised funds for the children of political prisoners, and organized camps and vacations for Belarusian refugees and the children of repressed individuals and political prisoners.
People’s Embassies have represented Belarus internationally and aided Belarusian citizens. They have organized dozens of exhibitions, film screenings, book presentations, cultural events, art performances, and rallies. Due to their active work to support Belarusians, they have been recognized as an “extremist formation” in Belarus.
Strategies, declarations, and parliamentary cooperation
In partnership with representatives of other political organizations, the Office has developed important statements and declarations, including the New Belarus Transition Strategy; the Protocol for Cooperation between Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, and the Coordination Council; the Declaration “Unconstitutional Seizure of Power: Why A. Lukashenka Must Be Barred from the 2025 Election“; the Declaration on Accountability and Restoring Justice; the Declaration on the Foreign Policy Priorities of Democratic Belarus; the Draft Declaration on Support for Independent Media; the Draft Declaration on the Need for the Release and Support for Political Prisoners; and the Draft Declaration on the Youth Policy of the Democratic Forces of Belarus.
The Office has held several meetings with business associations, political parties, independent trade unions, and expert communities. An election was held to form the 3rd Coordination Council.
Under the leadership of Anatoli Liabedzka, the Alliance of Parliamentary Groups “For a Democratic Belarus”, uniting 24 European parliaments and delegations, has been established. Cooperation agreements have been signed between the democratic forces of Belarus and the European Parliament. With the involvement of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, 14 resolutions on the situation in Belarus have been adopted, including by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. Seven legislative projects have been prepared to complement the New Belarus Constitution.
Solidarity, support, and assistance to volunteer fighters
At the initiative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the International Humanitarian Fund has been established to support the families of the repressed and former political prisoners. The fund will be managed by Belarusian organizations and initiatives that provide aid to political prisoners.
Four organizations assisting politically repressed individuals have announced the launch of the Humanitarian Emergency Service. New shelters have been opened in Wrocław and Vilnius.
The By_Help and BySol teams have continued to help repressed Belarusians and political prisoners save their lives and health through both evacuation from Belarus and fundraising for those affected.
The funds raised during the Solidarity Marathon “We Care!” have been fully distributed among foundations and organizations that assist political prisoners.
Belarusians have launched small, brave private projects that help political prisoners, their families, and activists inside the country. They have even organized support for people behind bars by sending them their favorite things, food, postcards, hygiene products, and cosmetics. Many initiatives and names cannot yet be published for safety reasons but they deserve great gratitude when the time comes.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office has also continued to assist volunteer fighters. It has provided the Belarusian unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a batch of modern weapons. Pavel Latushka and various organizations have been supporting the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment. Belarusian volunteers, including single mothers and former political prisoners, have been tirelessly transporting vehicles to the frontlines. This demonstrates our strength.
Youth and education
The Office has been actively cooperating with Belarusian youth both inside the country and abroad. A platform has been established for cooperation between the youth national councils of the Eastern Partnership. The Office has been involved in the work on the European Youth Forum’s motion on young political prisoners in Belarus, as well as in cooperation with the Council of Europe’s Contact Group on Belarus and the Advisory Council on Youth.
The Roadmap for the Democratization of Higher Education and the Reform of the General Secondary Education System in Belarus for the first 50-100-500 days has been prepared. Thanks to cooperation with international partners, support has been provided to Belarusian scholars, amounting to about one million euros. Additionally, more than 400 students have received scholarships to study at EU universities.
Documenting the regime’s crimes, preparing restitution, and working with non-aligned audiences
Thanks to the Legal Initiative’s activities within the criminal case under universal jurisdiction in Lithuania, 13 people have been recognized as victims of the regime. Investigations into torture at police departments and detention facilities in August 2020 have been prepared and published. An analytical review titled “Political Killings by the Regime” has been released. Active work with the UN has been carried out, resulting in the documentation of 60 individuals who experienced torture.
Pavel Latushka and his team have secured six international arrest warrants for the people who coordinated torture in several prisons and other regime criminals, which is an outstanding achievement. Two sets of documents with evidence of the Lukashenka regime’s war crimes have been submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. More than 100 regime supporters and Union State officials have been included in sanctions lists based on evidence prepared by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office. Work on recognizing the KGB and GUBAZiK as organizations involved in terrorist activities has been underway.
Thanks to the Office’s Legal Team, the Concept of Restitution for Victims of Repression has been developed. A working expert group has been formed in the Office involving representatives of other organizations to address the practical possibilities of holding the Lukashenka regime accountable using international mechanisms.
The *Honest People initiative has released several videos exposing the regime’s propaganda that have attracted more than 5 million views. The “We Deserve Better” campaign has reached more than 3.5 million Belarusians.
The New Belarus platform has launched the project “Everything in a Legal Way” to facilitate mutual help within the communities in addressing migration problems, as well as the Digital Office tool.
Culture and language
Preserving and supporting national identity has also been an important area of the Office’s activities. It is crucial to counter the regime’s Russification, attempts to rewrite history, and expansion of propaganda, which has affected even kindergartens.
The Belarusian language is the language of free Belarusians. The Office has been working on the National Revival Strategy, with special attention to supporting Belarusian spaces and events. The Belarusian Institute of Public History was established in Poland; the International Congress of Belarusian Researchers was held in Gdańsk, and the First Congress of Belarusian Culture in Exile took place in Warsaw.
Cultural institutes and professional communities have been established and are actively working to facilitate unity and contribute to a sustainable infrastructure for independent culture.
New media projects have emerged. We have been witnessing a new wave of genre-specific and industry-specific media channels. The number of cultural studies has grown, indicating the revival of expert activity.
Belarusian culture has been prioritized at major conferences and political meetings, as well as in support programs such as ArtPower, Vasminog, EU4Culture, and Most+. This has allowed the Belarusian community to implement numerous large-scale and high-quality cultural projects to unite the diaspora and people within Belarus, as well as shape and maintain Belarusians’ national identity. Over the past year, the Belarusian Council for Culture has provided financial support to more than 70 cultural projects and mobility initiatives. PEN Belarus has been also supporting Belarusian artists and monitoring violations of their rights and repression in Belarus.
All of the outlined activities are crucial for shaping a new, free Belarus and will be continued.
