President Roberta Metsola, Vice Presidents,
Distinguished Members of the European Parliament!
True pleasure to start a speech with such wonderful news. My sincere congratulations to Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli.
I wish to thank everyone who supported this decision, and especially ECR and EPP, for nominating Andrzej Poczobut for the Sakharov prize.
Andrzej truly deserves it. Andrzej, a Polish-Belarusian journalist, became a symbol of resistance, and personal enemy of the dictator.
Before hearing his verdict of 8 years in high security prison he said, “I am going to prison with a clear conscience… I always knew that when times like these come to Belarus, I will end up in prison.”
Awarding the Sakharov Prize to Andrzej and fearless Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia sends a strong message to all political prisoners, that you are not alone, and journalism is not a crime.
As German parliamentarian Manuela Rothman once said: “Today, heroes are not in the movies — heroes are in prisons.” And Andrzej and Mzia are among them.
Dear Roberta, thank you for your kind introduction. I don’t know if you remember, but five years ago, in those days of our peaceful revolution, you were one of the first leaders I met.
We had just won an election — and tens of thousands were already detained.
You told me then: “Don’t give up. Keep fighting no matter what. We will always be here for you.”
And you kept your promise.
From the very first day, the European Parliament stood on our side.
While governments hesitated, you ACTED — denouncing Lukashenka’s fake legitimacy, calling for sanctions, promoting visas and possibilities for Belarusians.
Together, we signed a memorandum on cooperation between the European Parliament and Belarus democratic forces — showing that Belarus’s rightful place is here, in the EU.
You took bold, unconventional steps that will be remembered in history books. THANK YOU!
And I want to thank each parliamentarian, who adopted a political prisoner, signed a postcard, joined a solidarity rally, voted for resolutions, and defended Belarus’s right for self-determination. THANK YOU!
I want to thank the Delegation on Belarus, its chair Malgorzata Gosiewska, and the standing rapporteur Helmut Brandstätter for their leadership and bringing Belarus voices here in Parliament.
Also, I want to commend Lithuania and Poland, our closest neighbors and allies, who stand firm against Lukashenka’s regime, support our movement, and continue to accept Belarusians fleeing terror.
And of course, big thanks to the European Commission, in particular President Ursula Von der Leyen, Commissioner Marta Kos, and High Representative Kaja Kallas — for their steadfast support to Belarusian media, civil society, and human rights defenders
— and for pledging the 3-billion-euro plan, which we will implement after democratic change.
Change may not come in a single day — but I know it will come.
Today, we are building the rails of that change, so that one day we can place Belarus on the right track — European track – that no Russia, and no Lukashenka, can ever block again.
And yes, I believe that Belarus WILL be a success story, and we all will write this story together.
Dear Friends,
For five years, I was coming into this chamber with a portrait of my husband.
He was in Lukashenka’s prison — isolated, starved, denied a voice.
Three months ago, when I saw him for the first time, I could barely recognize him. He had lost sixty kilograms — and looked like he returned from the GULAG.
But you know what? The next morning, he told me: “Now, let’s get to work.”
This is the essence of Belarus — beaten, exhausted, but never broken.
Siarhei brought new energy and strength to our movement.
He is also catching up with a new reality.
While he was behind bars, he missed our inspiring protests, the migration crisis, brutal repression, the beginning of the war.
He even missed his own Sakharov Prize ceremony.
Now he jokes that since his wife is President, he is the “First Gentleman….”
Of course, Siarhei’s release is my personal joy.
But I can’t fully rejoice while thousands of families remain divided —
While Ales Bialiatski cannot kiss his wife.
While our brave Masha — Maryia Kalesnikava — cannot hug her father.
While wives write letters to nowhere. While children fall asleep without their parents’ lullaby.
Siarhei’s release was not a miracle. He is free thanks to YOU — your words, your pressure, your solidarity.
It was YOU who, for all these years, kept fighting for Siarhei and for all political prisoners.
His release proved that everything is possible — if we are bold, consistent, and patient.
And it was a joint effort: a synergy of European pressure and American diplomacy.
Here, I want to commend President Trump and his team — it was a remarkable humanitarian operation that saved 70 lives.
President Trump has now gone further. He has demanded from Lukashenka the release of ALL 1,300 political hostages — students, teachers, doctors, factory workers, journalists.
We all pray to see more people free soon, including our common hero Andrzej Poczobut.
However, let’s not be fooled by Lukashenka’s so-called ”humanity”. Let’s not be naïve. He releases sixty — and immediately arrests one hundred and twenty. It’s like a revolving door.
Even those “pardoned” are not completely free: deported without documents, handcuffed, a sack over their head. Their families, still in Belarus, are harassed by the KGB.
Those who refuse to leave — like Mikola Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democrats — are thrown back into prison.
For Lukashenka, people are nothing but bargaining chips. He wants sanctions lifted, he wants legitimization, he dreams of returning to “business as usual.”
But we’ve seen this movie before — the same show for thirty years. And we all know how it ends.
Repression continues not because the regime is strong — but because it is weak. Because people despise him.
The dictator knows: the moment repression stops, Belarusians will rise again.
And yes — sanctions do work, no matter what the regime’s apologists say.
We see it already: sanctions force the regime to make concessions, to release people.
The regime’s economy is stagnating, the deficit keeps growing. He survives primarily on war contracts from Russia.
That’s why now is not the time to ease pressure — it’s the time to push harder and demand more.
Dear friends,
Here I propose a two-track approach. While the U.S. focuses on the humanitarian track — on releasing people and ending repression —
I call on the European Union to stay firm and principled.
Let the U.S. sanctions serve to save people’s lives. But the EU sanctions must aim for systemic, irreversible change.
Keep the pressure — until the regime stops jailing its people, stops blackmailing Europe with migrants, stops arming Russia’s war, and Belarus starts the path toward democracy.
Your cards are stronger — and hold them until the right moment.
Don’t be naive: Lukashenka will never change himself. But the country around him — has already changed.
The majority of Belarusians have chosen peace, democracy, and a European future. And this future is impossible — as long as Lukashenka remains in power.
Even those around him, nomenklatura, are whispering about transition. Everyone understands: change is inevitable.
Many once believed the Berlin Wall would stand forever, just as some now believe the dictatorship in Belarus will never fall.
But it will. The dictator’s time is ticking. Lukashenka is becoming a lame duck.
This is what we must prepare for — a post-Lukashenka Belarus.
We must make sure that not only Belarus is ready — but that Europe is ready when the moment comes.
To do that, we must keep pro-European spirit alive inside the country:
— through more contacts, exchanges, and visas for ordinary Belarusians; open borders, cultural initiatives that strengthen national identity;
— through stronger support for independent media, such as our leading outlets Zerkalo, Belsat, Nasha Niva, or Radio Free Europe, reaching millions inside Belarus;
— through strengthening our democratic institutions, ready to assume responsibility when the window of opportunity opens.
We already developed a set of reforms — our own European Roadmap — to ensure that Belarus moves toward democracy and to prevent Russia from taking over.
But the first thing we need is free and fair elections. And let me remind you: five years ago, we already won elections! — by a landslide. And be sure, WE WILL WIN AGAIN.
But before all of that, one thing is paramount: UKRAINE MUST WIN.
We admire President Zelensky and the bravery of the Ukrainian people — they are fighting not only for their own land, they fight for all of us.
Ukraine’s success will open the path for all our nations, living in the shadow of the Empire — not only for Belarus, but also for Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova.
We, Belarusians, stand with Ukraine not only in words, but in deeds.
Among our political prisoners, there are hundreds of heroes, sentenced for solidarity with Ukraine, sabotaging Russian troops, and sharing information.
As we speak, Belarusian volunteers from the Kalinouski Regiment are fighting shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians on the frontlines.
And they asked me to pass on a message — the same one I heard from Roberta five years ago: “Don’t give up, Europe.”
When Ukraine is STRONG, Europe UNITED, and Russia WEAKENED — change in Belarus will become only a matter of time. And this change can spark change in Russia too.
So today,
I urge you: give Ukraine everything it needs, not just to sustain, but to win.
I urge you – weaken Putin by sanctioning his oil revenues and confiscating his assets. The weaker Russia becomes, the weaker Lukashenka is.
I urge you – bring perpetrators to justice: not only Putin, but also Lukashenka with his cronies. Support Lithuanian referral to ICC for crimes against humanity. Never before we were so close to opening the case.
And while keeping pressure on the regime, support our people — those inside the country, but also in exile. Thousands of Belarusians in the EU become de-facto stateless, without documents, and face transnational repression.
Invest in people, not dictators. Because military power alone means nothing without people ready to defend their values.
I urge you: see Belarus not only as a threat, but as an opportunity — to change the status quo and weaken Russia’s presence on your eastern flank.
Do not be afraid of dictators — let’s make them afraid.
Dear friends,
All the things I was saying today are already in your resolution to be voted on today. I deeply appreciate all the authors and groups who have contributed.
It sends a clear message to the Belarusian people — you are not alone. But also to the regime — we see your crimes.
It lays a solid foundation for a proactive EU strategy on Belarus, aimed to achieve solid and irreversible change.
I will take the Resolution to every government I meet — but above all, I will make sure that people inside the country see it, and know that Europe stands with Belarus.
Dear Parliament,
In conclusion, let me say a few words in Belarusian — first, because I want our language to be heard here in the European Parliament, and second, because I want to address my fellow Belarusians watching online:
Дарагія беларусы — і тыя, хто ў краіне, і тыя, хто выехаў. Ніколі не губляйце надзею. Ніколі не здавайцеся. І не здраджвайце сваім прынцыпам. Як казаў Алесь Бяляцкі: «Я веру, бо ведаю, што мінае ноч і надыходзіць ранак. Я ведаю, што нас няўтомна штурхае наперад — гэта надзея і мара».
Калі мы разам, калі верым, калі працуем дзеля пераменаў — мы ўсё адолеем.
Dear friends,
And now I want you to meet my personal hero, Siarhei Tsikhanouski – the man to whom I’m grateful with all my heart for all that he did and endured.
After all, it was for him that I became an accidental politician.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski.
