During her working visit to Paris, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the “For a Democratic Belarus” parliamentary group in the French National Assembly. This group serves as a platform where MPs discuss new Belarus-related initiatives, address pressing issues, and explore ways to support Belarusian civil society.
French MPs and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed:
- Strategies for supporting and securing the release of political prisoners;
- Cooperation between Belarusian and French experts, including internship opportunities for Belarusians;
- Solidarity campaigns for political prisoners in Belarus, including letters of support, parliamentary hearings, and exhibitions;
- The next Kalinowski Conference;
- The May Coordination Council election, in which the French side participated as observers and prepared a report;
- Belarus-related issues on the National Assembly agenda, which could raise awareness of the challenges faced by Belarusians.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also raised concerns about financial aid for Belarusian media and civil society, which are facing difficulties following the suspension of the United States’ international aid:
“I want to raise another crucial issue: technical assistance. As you know, the US administration has frozen aid to Belarus, which has severely impacted our media and civil society. This situation threatens the stability of Belarusian independent media and civic initiatives, and I urge you to make every effort to support them”.
