Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya began her visit to Strasbourg by meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. They discussed the situation of political prisoners in Belarus and cooperation between the European Parliament and the democratic forces of Belarus. Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, who became Ms. Metsola’s symbolic goddaughter while in prison, was also present at the meeting.
The parties discussed:
- Political prisoners. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya provided updates on the situation of political prisoners in Belarus and shared findings from the report by the Viasna Human Rights Center on systemic human rights violations against women in Belarusian prisons.
- Cooperation between Belarus’ democratic forces and the European Parliament. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the importance of continued engagement with European institutions.
- Joint events and seminars. The parties explored opportunities for broader representation of Belarus’ democratic forces at European Parliament events.
- Support for Belarusian NGOs and media. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stressed the urgent need to support independent journalism and human rights initiatives.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I want to thank President Metsola for today’s warm meeting. Roberta was finally able to meet Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk in person. As part of Libereco’s initiative to support political prisoners, President Metsola became Palina’s symbolic godmother while she was imprisoned. This serves as yet another reminder – behind every story stands a person who has not been broken and a community that refuses to let them face repression alone”.
