One of the major events during Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s working visit to Cyprus was the meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament, Annita Demetriou. Key topics of discussion included not only simplification of legal procedures for Belarusians or support for businesses but also support for political prisoners. Specifically, the parties discussed a range of short-term rehabilitation programs for the children of Belarusian political prisoners.
During the hearing in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Cypriot Parliament, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed the importance of supporting Belarus’ civil society. The leader proposed a series of initiatives to the committee that could provide immediate relief to Belarusians:
⚪️ Finding solutions to the problems faced by the Belarusian diaspora: legalization of stay, travel documents, residence permits, and opening bank accounts.
🔴 Establishing a group “For а Democratic Belarus” in the Cypriot Parliament, similar to those already existing in almost all EU parliaments.
⚪️ Joining the international symbolic godparenthood campaign over Belarusian political prisoners, which already connects more than 400 members of parliaments from various countries.
🔴 Visiting Vilnius or Warsaw to meet with former political prisoners, journalists, and activists, which could help the politicians understand the situation in Belarus and shed light on it in the media.
