Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave speech in the Parliment of Cyprus:
“Dear members of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs
Dear excellencies, dear friends of freedom
It is an honor and privilege to address you today. And I know that I am among friends.
It’s my second day here, in Cyprus, but I already feel how close our nations are. Belarusians, much like Cypriots, deeply understand the true value of freedom.
We have many things to learn about each other. And I think my visit here to Cyprus will help to develop the relationship between Belarusians and Cypriots.
Exactly on this day, 32 years ago, Belarus and Cyprus established a diplomatic relationship. It was two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Belarus experienced democracy, similar to what Cyprus enjoys now. However, 2 years later, the power in my country was seized by a dictator.
In 2020, Belarusians rose up against tyranny, against injustice, and violence.
I am sure you all remember massive rallies all over the country. Belarusians clearly showed that we see our country as free, democratic, and European, not some pariah or Russian province.
As you know, I was not a professional politician. I ran for president because I wanted to support my husband, who was imprisoned by Lukashenka’s regime.
My only promise was to conduct free and fair elections. And we have evidence that I won that election. However, our victory was stolen. The dictator unleashed the brutal terror that continues to this day. He dragged our country into the criminal war against Ukraine and holds nine million Belarusians as hostages.
Despite that, we continue to resist. Belarusians demonstrate defiance, conduct acts of sabotage, and will never agree to live under tyranny or Russian Yoke.
In exile, we have formed alternative institutions of power, such as the United Transitional Cabinet and Coordination Council. We continue to represent and defend the interests of the Belarusian people. Because Lukashenka is not the president. He is a criminal who seized power and served his patron in Moscow, not the Belarusian people.
And he must be brought to account for all the crimes he committed. And his record is long: crimes against humanity, treason against the state, hijacking of the Ryanair flight, deportation of Ukrainian children, and complicity in the war.
Our mission, the mission of Belarusian democratic forces, remains the same. Our aim is to liberate Belarus from the grip of dictatorship and Russian claws. Lukashenka’s regime must be dismantled. Every political prisoner must be released. Perpetrators must be punished. We need free and fair elections under international supervision.
The regime of Lukashenka is much more vulnerable than it seems. It is like a chair on three legs: money, repression, and Russia. If one leg falls, the whole chair collapses.
Unfortunately, the situation in Belarus didn’t improve. Political parties, media, and civil society initiatives have been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands had to flee the country because of repressions. This is how Lukashenka takes revenge on people who dared to dream about freedom.
Thousands are still held as political prisoners under the most inhumane conditions. One of them is my husband. My children have not seen their daddy for four years already. For one year, he is held incommunicado, and I don’t know if he is alive.
Despite the terror, Belarusians continue to resist. You can’t see big rallies anymore, but the protest went underground. We see the small acts of sabotage, of resistance. And most important – people did not give up.
After the regime dragged our country into the criminal war against Ukraine, it became evident that Lukashenka doesn’t represent Belarus anymore. He is selling our country to Putin, piece by piece, in exchange for political support.
Therefore, it’s so crucial right now to isolate the regime, politically, economically through sanctions – through all available means. However, while isolating the regime we should not isolate the people.
We should distinguish the regime from the people: it’s the regime who became Putin’s accomplice. Meanwhile, Belarusian people are fighting for democracy and freedom, and supporting Ukraine.
For us, the victory of Ukraine will be also our victory. But also vice versa, changes in Belarus can help Ukraine to win faster. Our fates are interconnected.
Dear friends,
I want to thank the Cypriot Parliament and your committee for your strong voice in support of freedom and democracy. I want to ask you to be vocal on Belarus situation, support our democratic aspirations, isolate Belarus regime as it violates international law and human rights.
You can make statements, resolutions on Belarus. Every action matters. I ask you to pay particular attention to the situation with human rights abuses, political prisoners, involvement of Lukashenka’s regime in the war, and deployment of nuclear weapons on our territory.
I want to thank you for your strong position on sanctions, and your efforts to counter those who attempt to evade sanctions. For years, the Belarus regime was using Cyprus for the evasion of sanctions. Right now, more than 500 companies in Belarus have Cypriot capital. Many of these companies are related to the regime, support the war and repressions. We rely on your help to identify and sanction them.
I want to ask you to distinguish between Belarus regime and Belarusian people. Many Belarusian continue to fight for freedom both inside the country, and abroad. Belarusian people don’t support the war, and don’t support dictatorship.
I hope Cyprus will support Belarusians living here in Cyprus, it’s more than 5000 people. Yesterday, I met our diaspora in Limassol. They face many challenges. The regime deprived them of documents, passports. Many can’t return home because they will be immediately arrested. They become de facto stateless.
I hope Cyprus will find a solution for them, providing them with legalization, travel documents, residence permits, and allowing them to open bank accounts. We as democratic forces are ready to provide verification for people and companies residing in Cyprus.
I also encourage you to create the group for democratic Belarus in the Cypriot Parliament. It would be a strong message of solidarity and support, but also an important instrument to strengthen the cooperation between Cyprus and free Belarus. Such groups exist already in almost all EU parliaments.
I also ask you to join our campaign of godparenthood over political prisoners. More than 400 parliamentarians from different countries around the world, “adopted” our journalists, activists, and teachers behind bars. You can pick any political prisoners, and tell their stories – to people in Cyprus and around the world.
And finally, I invite you to pay a visit to Vilnius or Warsaw, to meet former political prisoners, journalists, activists, – to understand our situation, but also to highlight it in your media.
Dear friends,
Let me express my deepest gratitude for your time and attention. I know that changes in Belarus will need time. But with your help, I am sure, we will be able to succeed. And Belarus will find its rightful place in the European family, as a free and democratic nation.
Thank you”.
