Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “For Belarusians, this issue is particularly painful. After 2020, Belarus experienced the largest wave of forced emigration in its modern history. Between 500,000 and 600,000 people left the country. That’s tens of thousands of broken lives and separated families.
A vast number of people continue to leave the country, as the sense of danger for one’s beliefs has not disappeared. The threat of arrest and criminal prosecution has forced people to seek safety abroad. For many, this was not a choice in search of a better life but a necessity to preserve their freedom.
Even outside the country, the regime continues its pressure, while relatives in Belarus are blackmailed and intimidated. As a result, emigration becomes an extension of repression, accompanied by a constant feeling of vulnerability and uncertainty.
At the same time, I always see that Belarusians do not abandon one another. Human rights and volunteer organizations help with legal stay, documentation, adaptation, and provide support in the most difficult situations. Many Belarusians have paid a high price for the right to remain themselves. And I know that we will preserve this dignity and carry it forward until the moment we finally return home”.
