Today in Vilnius, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented the International Humanitarian Fund to support political prisoners in Belarus. The event was held as a press conference, with representatives of Belarusian humanitarian support organizations participating, including Volha Zazulinskaya (A Country to Live in Foundation), Andrei Stryzhak (BYSOL Foundation), and Alexey Leonchik (ByHelp Foundation).
Here’s Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s speech:
“Dear colleagues, dear friends! Journalists, partners!
I am happy that we can now officially announce the International Humanitarian Fund to support the victims of repression. Believe me, I would be even happier if such a fund were not needed and all political prisoners were free. But there is a need for it, and unfortunately, it’s not decreasing — it’s growing. This is our reality.
I am grateful to our international partners for responding to our initiative. First and foremost, let me thank the Norwegian government for making the first financial contribution of nearly one million euros, and the Swedish government for immediately joining its Norwegian colleagues.
I would also like to thank the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, which has become the administrative partner of the fund, and all the Belarusian initiatives, especially Alexey Leonchik and the Humanitarian Ambulance Service, who provide aid to current and former political prisoners.
This fund is the result of enormous efforts by the democratic forces, human rights defenders, and humanitarian initiatives. We started this work back in early 2023 when it became clear that the regime was not stopping the repression, the number of political prisoners was growing, and the support provided through small donations or from the European Union was not enough.
People affected by repression need help. They need it here and now, not in the future. Both those recently released and the families of those still imprisoned need help. I hope this aid will primarily go to those inside the country.
This fund is by no means established to replace existing support programs but to supplement them.
This assistance should not come at the expense of support for civil society or independent media, for example. The Humanitarian Fund will be a ‘basket’ where everyone who cares about Belarus can contribute. This can include governments, international organizations, and private benefactors.
Right now, the fund holds 1.28 million euros. I hope this is just the beginning. Several countries have already expressed their willingness to contribute, and we aim to significantly increase this amount by the end of the year.
In this regard, I would like to appeal to our international partners. I urge you to contribute to the Humanitarian Fund. This help could save someone’s life or health and help others survive these dark times.
Recently, floods occurred across Central Europe. People, including Belarusians, immediately responded and started sending donations to help the victims. This is a wonderful, touching example of solidarity.
The repressions in Belarus are also a humanitarian catastrophe that has been going on for four years. And Belarusians don’t have a state to protect them — instead, the state is carrying out the repressions. In such a situation, they can only rely on international solidarity and their own initiative and cooperation. And thank God, there are enough people and organizations in the world who understand this and support us. We are deeply grateful to them.
Transparency and efficiency are crucial in the fund’s work. The reputation of the organization is of great importance. No one should doubt that the aid is going to where it’s needed and reaching those who truly require it.
That is why the organization will be managed collectively. Human rights defenders and humanitarian initiatives will make joint decisions on how the funds are disbursed.
A Supervisory Board — comprising experts, media representatives, and foreign diplomats — will be overseeing its work.
The United Transitional Cabinet or Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office will not be able to interfere in the fund’s operations. Our objective is to advocate for and secure support for our political prisoners, just as we do for independent media, civil society, and cultural and educational initiatives.
We must remember that providing aid to those repressed does not replace the efforts to secure the release of political prisoners. These are not mutually exclusive. We will continue fighting for the release of every individual. The liberation of political prisoners and the end of repression is our priority and mission.
Thank you for your attention”.
