During her working visit to the United States, the Belarusian leader joined the conversation “Standing Up to a Dictator” at the Perry World House. She called for solidarity with the people fighting for democracy worldwide.
Here is Ms. Tsikhanouskaya’s speech:
“Dear Justin, thank you for your kind words of introduction.
Dear Ms. Amy Gadsden,
Dear students, professors, friends,
First of all, accept my apologies for being late – the New York traffic during the UN General Assembly is a real nightmare.
But finally I am here, and I am very pleased and humbled to speak here today, at Perry World House University.
Even though it’s my first visit, I’ve heard so much about this incredible school and this city. When I received the invitation to become a visiting fellow, I had to double check, and thought it might be a mistake.
But today, I am happy to be here in Philly – the city which connects Belarusians and Americans. And not only because we have here a super-active Belarusian diaspora. Not far from this school, there is a memorial to Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
You know him as an American hero and fighter for independence. But he is our hero too. 200 years ago he led the uprising against the Russian Empire on our lands. And his words: “For Your Freedom and Ours”, became one of the mottos of our uprising in 2020.
As you know, I never planned to become a politician or a revolution leader. The very idea of speaking at a stage like this still drives me into a panic. I would feel much better to be in the audience as a student and learn from the best.
But life knows how to make surprises and put us in unexpected circumstances. And you just have to be willing to do what’s right. This happened to me four years ago, when I suddenly had to beсome a presidential candidate.
I call myself an accidental politician. It was my husband Siarhei who actually decided to run against the dictator. When he was imprisoned, I ran in his place. I did it out of love.
I didn’t expect so many people to support me. People had enough of dictatorship. People wanted changes, and the dictatorial regime was not able to contain this energy.
Of course, elections were rigged and people went out to the streets. The regime unleashed brutal violence and plunged the country into terror. Thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured, beaten. Thousands of people were forced into exile, including me and my children. And this nightmare has not stopped for four years already.
As we speak, thousands of Belarusians are behind bars. Many political prisoners are held incommunicado, including my husband. I did not hear from him for 500 days. And I don’t know if he is alive.
This is another form of torture, not just of prisoners, but also of their families. The goal of the regime is to break you, to seed frustration, and to make you give up.
But you know what? All this terror and repression did not stop our desire for change. Though many of us are in exile, many are in prisons, but we continue our fight.
When the dictator dragged our country into the Russian criminal war, we realized that the terror in Belarus was just a preparation for Russian invasion against Ukraine. And many Belarusians went to fight for Ukraine. Many gave their lives “For our freedom and yours”, as Kosciuszko used to say.
Our imprisoned Nobel Laureate, Ales Bialiatski, who celebrates his 62 birthday today, wrote that the future of Belarus depends on what would happen in Ukraine.
And he is so right! Fates of our countries are intertwined. Without free Ukraine there will not be free Belarus, but also vice versa. Without free Belarus, there will not be free Ukraine.
Russia doesn’t see Belarus and Ukraine as independent countries. It sees them as its disobedient colonies, which must be brought back under control. Democratic Belarus and independent Ukraine are a real nightmare for Putin.
When in Ukraine, Putin fights with shells and tanks, in Belarus it’s a creeping occupation. Russia needs the terror to go on in Belarus, and the country to be under control of their loyal dictator.
Unfortunately, this all makes our struggle even more difficult, but not hopeless.
And let me be honest, I don’t know when and how long it will take us to win, when and how changes will happen. But we must do all we can to bring this moment closer. Sometimes you just have to do what is right, and history will put everything in its place.
The road to freedom can be long and difficult. And along the way it is important to have allies. We count on the support of the United States of America and all democratic countries.
The fight for freedom is a global one. Because tyranny is contagious: if not contained – it spills over. Belarus is a good example of that.
Therefore, I believe, it’s the moral obligation of all democratic countries to stand with those who fight for freedom, and for values we all hold so dear. With people of Ukraine, but also with Belarusians.
To prepare for today’s discussion, I was sent questions. I especially liked this one: “Should American youth be cynical and pessimistic about democracy or passionate in its defense?”
I think that we shouldn’t be cynical or pessimistic about anything. We just must do what’s right. And defending democracy is the right thing to do.
When you live in democracy, you take such things for granted. Because democracy is like air: and only when you lose it – you suffocate. Believe me, democracy is so easy to lose, and so hard to get back. And we, Belarusians, know it so well from our own experience.
Please stand with those who fight for democracy. As Martin Luther King Junior famously said, “No one is free until we are all free.”
I believe that defending democracy everywhere in the world makes America stronger, not weaker.
Dear friends,
In closing, I urge each of you to use your voice, your knowledge, and your passion to create change.
Whether it’s within your community, your country, or on a global scale, your actions have power. Real change takes time, but it starts with people like you who choose not to stand by in silence.
Together, we can build a world that upholds freedom, justice, and human dignity for all”.
