Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya began her working visit to Finland by joining the Helsinki+50 Conference. The event, marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords, brought together international leaders and politicians, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb, OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Before her speech, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expressed condolences to the victims of Russia’s overnight attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities: “My deepest condolences to all victims and the families who lost loved ones. This terror cannot be justified. Russia must be stopped. We all stand with Ukraine”.
In her main address, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya focused on practical steps to overcome the political crisis in Belarus:
- Ways to free political prisoners: “We urge the OSCE to take a more active role in addressing the issue of political prisoners in Belarus. The regime has not stopped committing crimes for a single day. It continues to punish people who dared to defend their rights”.
- Accountability for the regime: “Impunity is unacceptable. We call on governments to support Lithuania’s referrals of the Lukashenka regime’s crimes to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice”.
- A tribunal as a mechanism for justice: “We support a special international tribunal. We hope it will serve as a tool to hold accountable officials in both Russia and Belarus, who are involved in Russia’s war crimes”.
- Support for the International Humanitarian Fund: “The fund is supported by Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Spain. It provides direct assistance to victims of repression”.
