All day long, Vilnius and many other cities around the world have been hosting events dedicated to Freedom Day.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the raising of the white-red-white flag, addressed the plenary session of the Seimas of Lithuania, awarded outstanding individuals, and attended the opening of the exhibition “Europe That Unites Us”. In the evening, she joined a rally and a march.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya walked through the streets of the Lithuanian capital with Belarusians and delivered a speech, calling on participants to stay strong, stand together, believe in themselves, and take action.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Ryhor Baradulin, our national poet, perfectly captured the spirit of this holiday:
‘Our dreams are linked by a river
Of the white-red-white flag.
March 25th –
Our holiday,
Our password,
Our oath!’
Today, many Belarusians cannot celebrate Freedom Day openly, yet they still celebrate. At home or with guests. With family and friends. In Minsk and Vitsebsk, Maladzyechna and Mikashevichy. And those abroad are celebrating too – taking to the streets in Vilnius and Warsaw, Tbilisi and Kyiv, Berlin and New York.
We celebrate while remembering those who cannot be with us – those behind bars, those on the front lines, those who gave their lives for freedom. We honor those who laid the foundations of our independence and dedicated their lives to Belarus. We are continuing their work, and we must see it through to the end.
Thank you to each and every one who took to the streets today, despite the threats from the Investigative Committee of Belarus”.
See photos from the events below.
