Today, May 13, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a briefing in Vilnius for members of the diplomatic corps. Participants included representatives of Lithuania, Ireland, Italy, Moldova, Latvia, the Netherlands, Israel, Finland, Estonia, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Spain, Norway, Romania, the United States, Germany, Japan, Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and the Nordic Council.
The meeting took place at the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Vilnius. The Belarusian leader stressed that the Office continues its work, while Lithuania remains one of the closest and most important partners of the democratic forces of Belarus:
“I am truly glad to hold this briefing here, at our Office in Vilnius. I want to stress that despite the expansion of our activities in Poland, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya remains a single and unified institution. And I am deeply grateful to Lithuania for maintaining our diplomatic accreditation”.
The briefing focused on the following topics:
- the release of political prisoners;
- legal stay and residency issues faced by Belarusians abroad;
- the work of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Lithuania and Poland;
- international pressure on the regime;
- countering transnational repression.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also expressed gratitude to Poland for its support and solidarity with Belarusians; to the United States for efforts to secure the release of political prisoners; and to Sweden, Norway, and Germany for supporting civil society and independent media. She also thanked Spain for recognizing expired Belarusian passports, Moldova for assisting in the release of detainees, and Lithuania for its initiative to hold the Lukashenka regime accountable through the International Criminal Court.
She called on partners to maintain unity in their policy toward Belarus, continue supporting Belarusian democratic institutions and independent media, assist Belarusians in exile with residency issues, and sustain pressure on the regime until all political prisoners are released and real systemic change takes place in Belarus.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The path toward a free, democratic, and European Belarus is difficult and may seem too long at times. But I know that we are not alone on this path. Belarusians have friends and allies who continue to stand with us. Thank you for this solidarity. It is this support that gives us the strength to continue our work for people’s freedom, for our independence, and for the democratic future of Belarus”.
