Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Belarusian diaspora in Sweden. Before holding a conversation with Belarusians and participating in a rally of solidarity with political prisoners, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered an emotional speech. She shared her pain and called for continued efforts to free political prisoners.
Here are the key quotes from Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s speech at the meeting:
⚪ “I can’t help but wonder: If it hurts adults this much, imagine how much it hurts our children. My daughter starts crying at the mere mention of her father’s name. It hurts me to think that someday she might forget his voice or what he looks like. That’s why I have hung photos of Siarhei on the walls of her room”.
🔴 “Pain is paralyzing. That’s why I try to turn it into energy. I realize that my suffering will not help political prisoners. And those in captivity are counting on us”.
⚪ “I don’t know exactly what people feel in prisons but it seems to me that the biggest fear behind bars is the fear of being forgotten. And this is exactly what the regime is counting on. Because when you feel support and solidarity, it gives you strength to keep fighting. You know that your suffering is not in vain, that the cause you sacrificed your freedom for is alive”.
🔴 “We often complain that the international community forgets Belarus. But let’s ask ourselves: Have we done enough to fix this? Do we remind the media enough about ourselves? Do we hold enough public rallies, or join others under our flags as we did yesterday?”
