On May 9, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working trip to Latvia, meeting with the Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament), visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and speaking at the event “The Role of Belarus in the Political and Security Architecture of Europe: Perspectives from the Baltic Region”.
The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would join the International Humanitarian Fund and allocate an additional €30,000 to support repressed Belarusians. This direct aid will go toward rehabilitation, medical care, and other needs of former political prisoners, their families, and other people affected by repression.
During the visit, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with the Speaker of the Latvian Parliament, Daiga Mieriņa, and with the parliamentary group “For a Democratic Belarus”. She proposed that the Speaker sign a memorandum of cooperation between the Latvian Saeima and the democratic forces of Belarus.
The parties also discussed a campaign in support of political prisoners. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya invited Latvia to join the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners on May 21 and thanked the Saeima for launching an internship program for Belarusian activists. The first participants began their internships this week.
The Belarusian leader expressed gratitude for the legislative exemption granted to Belarusians regarding the restrictions against Belarusian-registered vehicles and asked that similar exemptions be introduced in the upcoming bill that could limit property ownership for Belarusian citizens in Latvia.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya joined the Speaker of Parliament to take part in Europe Day celebrations, marking the 1950 declaration that laid the foundation for the European Union.
Alongside the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Antoņina Ņenaševa, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya opened the exhibition Art Behind Bars at the Latvian Parliament. The exhibition was organized by the Community of Belarusians in Latvia Supolka and the Viasna Human Rights Center, featuring artwork created in prison by political prisoners such as Ales Pushkin, Pavel Seviarynets, and Ruslan Slutski. In her remarks, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Latvian MPs to take patronage over political prisoners and actively advocate for their release.
At the Latvian Foreign Ministry, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya opened the event “The Role of Belarus in the Political and Security Architecture of Europe: Perspectives from the Baltic Region”, where she joined experts from Latvia, Poland, and Belarus in discussing security challenges and ways to support democratic change.
She also spoke at the plenary session of the Baltic Assembly, calling for stronger solidarity with Belarusian society and the democratic movement.
The visit concluded with a meeting with the Belarusian diaspora in Latvia and interviews with local and international media.
