During her visit to Portugal, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, the European Commission Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, as well as with representatives of media and major tech companies.
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
At her meeting with Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty, the discussion focused on the work of the Council of Europe’s Contact Group for Belarus and joint initiatives regarding political prisoners, as well as on ways to hold the Lukashenka regime accountable. They addressed the need to bring the regime to justice through the Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, initiated by the Council of Europe and Ukraine.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya spoke about progress in implementing the Luxembourg Solutions to address the problems faced by Belarusians in exile and asked the Commissioner to pay special attention to the regime’s persecution of Belarusians abroad.
She called for continued assistance to Belarusian activists and journalists, humanitarian visas, and emergency relocation mechanisms.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya handed over information about political prisoners, including those held incommunicado, and shared updates on the humanitarian track for the release of political prisoners in cooperation with the United States. She also told Commissioner O’Flaherty about the fate of Mikalai Statkevich, from whom there have been no updates for several months.
She stressed that for the democratic forces, Belarus’ inclusion in the Council of Europe remains a key priority, thanked the Commissioner for his attention to Belarus, and noted the productive cooperation with his predecessor, Dunja Mijatović.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed holding joint events as a next step.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also met with the European Commission Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen.
The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Belarus Democratic Forces’ Mission in Madrid and CEO of Imaguru Hub, Tatsiana Marynich (Tania Marinich), and the Founder of Svae, Pavel Liber.
The parties discussed support for Belarusian IT companies operating in the EU, participation in European Commission programs for the tech sector – including in civil security and defense – as well as possible hackathons and conferences, and support for media initiatives and projects combating disinformation.
They also explored opportunities for Belarusian companies to join the European Democracy Shield, aimed at countering propaganda from Russia and Belarus and sharing regional experience in defending the information space.
The discussion also covered the legal challenges faced by Belarusians working in the EU’s IT sector.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the role of Belarusian IT companies and developers in the democratization of Belarus and in building Belarusian communities in exile. Cooperation with major tech companies such as TikTok and Meta was also discussed, focusing on support for Belarusian activists and journalists.
She stressed that the Belarusian IT sector both contributes economically to the EU’s prosperity and stands ready to strengthen democratic values, counter disinformation, and enhance security.
During her visit, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also:
- Took part in Web Summit 2025. She joined the panel discussion “Entrepreneurship as a Human Right” alongside Imaguru Founder and CEO Tania Marinich. She highlighted that Belarusians in exile have not lost their energy or ability to build – they are contributing to the economies of their host countries and will form the foundation of Belarus’ future economic recovery. She also attended the opening of the Belarusians Worldwide booth — “Technology Without Borders”.
- Met with the Belarusian diaspora and IT community. The discussion focused on the situation of Belarusians in Portugal and their legal status. Key concerns included the cancellation of temporary protection, difficulties renewing alien passports, impossible document requirements from Belarus (like criminal record certificates or apostilles), and the lack of documents for children born in Portugal to Belarusian parents. These issues leave many people in legal uncertainty and threaten their integration and security. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed these problems with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora, and her Office has sent an official inquiry to the Portuguese authorities.
Gave several interviews, speaking about the situation in Belarus and the work of the democratic forces.
