VISIT TO THE USA
From July 9 to 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Washington, where she participated in the NATO Public Forum at the invitation of the Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg. During the visit, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and co-authored an op-ed with Nancy Pelosi for The Washington Post, highlighting tyranny in Eastern Europe and calling for increased pressure on dictators.
The democratic leader also met with the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss the situation with Belsat and urge the minister to continue supporting the channel. She also met with the Prime Minister of Estonia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland to invite Iceland to contribute to the international humanitarian fund in support of Belarusian political prisoners and their families. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya took part in an international conference for Captive Nations Week. She met with the Leader of the Democratic Caucus in the US House of Representatives to thank the US Representatives for the support of the Belarusian people and to urge the Congress to adopt a new Belarus Democracy Act.
TIGHTENED CONTROLS AT BELARUS–EU BORDER
In an interview with Zerkalo, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya explained that increased controls at the Belarus–EU borders and new restrictions are a consequence of the Lukashenka regime’s policies tying the country to Russia. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also noted that Belarus’ democratic forces are striving to protect existing passenger traffic and that Lithuania and Poland support these efforts.
TUTAKA FESTIVAL
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the TUTAKA Festival. “Although we Belarusians have been scattered across the world, it is our culture, history, and language that keep us together”, she noted and thanked the organizers and participants of the festival.
NEW COORDINATION COUNCIL SPEAKERS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya congratulated Anzhalika Melnikava and Stanislava Hlinnik on their election as the Speaker and Vice-Speaker of the Coordination Council. She expressed hope that they will facilitate quality communication and productive work within the CC. Soon, the Coordination Council delegates will gather at the New Belarus Conference to develop a common strategy for 2025.
BELARUS AND WAR IN UKRAINE
In an interview with TN.CZ, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated that the democratic world must continue to support Ukraine and Belarus, emphasizing that Russian control over Belarus threatens the security of the entire European continent.
ANNIVERSARY OF ALES BIALIATSKI’S ARREST
On the anniversary of Ales Bialiatski’s arrest, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya released a statement highlighting the importance of human rights defenders for Belarus: “Under different circumstances, the country would be proud of such an outstanding citizen. But the dictatorship sees him as a threat – just like it sees anyone who disagrees with the system created by Lukashenka and challenges it”.
ANNIVERSARY OF ALES PUSHKIN’S DEATH
On the anniversary of Ales Pushkin’s death, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for keeping the memory of Ales by continuing his legacy. The famous Belarusian artist and political prisoner died in hospital on July 11, 2023. Until the end of July, an exhibition of Ales Pushkin’s works will be on display in the Kropka space in Vilnius.
DIGITAL SECURITY
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office prepared digital security tips to help Belarusians protect personal data and devices.
MEDIA
This week, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in Morning Joe (USA) and gave interviews to The Washington Post (USA), LR1 and TV3 (Latvia), Zerkalo, DW, and Radio Free Europe. She also spoke to RUS LSM (Latvia).
