PARTICIPATION IN WEB SUMMIT. At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Portugal, the Belarusian leader took part in the Web Summit, which is a major European tech conference. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the role of technology in the Belarusian resistance and called on tech companies to support Belarusian independent media, bloggers, and journalists.
On the margins of the Summit, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held talks with the founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales, the President of the Chinese corporation Alibaba.com Zhang Kuo, the Minister for Digital Government and Gender Equality of Denmark Marie Bjerre, the Minister of Economy of Portugal António Costa Silva, the Mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas, and the CEO of Web Summit Katherine Maher.
VISIT TO PORTUGAL. On November 13-15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Lisbon. During the official visit, she met with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernardo Ivo Cruz, and Defense Minister Helena Carreiras.
On November 13, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Portuguese Parliament, which announced the launch of its group of Friends of Belarus. The Belarusian leader called on Portugal to deepen cooperation in supporting Belarusian political prisoners and the new Belarusian passport project. Portuguese MPs and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed establishing contacts with Portuguese-speaking countries like Angola and Brazil.
STUDENT DAY. On November 17, Belarus and the world celebrated Student Day. On this occasion, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, recorded a video addressing Belarusian students: “I have been fortunate to work with Belarusian youth – and I am confident that each of you deserves better. Dear students, your enthusiasm and determination are the driving forces in the fight for democracy in Belarus. You are not just leaders of tomorrow – you are catalysts of change today. You are the future of new Belarus”.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELARUSIANS. In October, Management Center Innsbruck, one of the most prestigious universities in Central Europe, launched a scholarship program under Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s patronage. The program will allow Belarusian students to obtain a bachelor’s or master’s degree in more than 10 majors. Over the past month, a large number of young people have shown interest in the project, and the Office team released a guide with answers to the most popular questions. Detailed information about the application and scholarship process can be found on the university website.
EDUCATION IN BELARUS. In Minsk, the regime’s Ministry of Education and the Prosecutor General’s Office presented the new school textbook “The Genocide of the Belarusian People during the Great Patriotic War”. Children of all ages will be taught a new version of history.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on this development: “The genocide of the Belarusian people did not end in the 1940s, it is ongoing. It is ongoing in prisons, where political prisoners are deprived of assistance, medication, and basic necessities, which dooms them to a slow death. It is ongoing in the police departments, where people are made to give testimony by force and confess to crimes on video. It is ongoing in schools and universities, where people in uniforms bring ideology to replace education – and deprive young people of opportunities for attempting to go against the system. But despite years of propaganda, we, Belarusians, know the truth. We know our history and remember our heroes. And our priority now is not to let propaganda penetrate the minds of our children”.
BELARUSIAN FILM FESTIVAL. Belarusian movies are now available for free anywhere in the world thanks to the Northern Lights Film Festival 2023. The festival features not only Belarusian movies but also films by directors from Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Spain, and other countries. Watch the films of Northern Lights to feel unity regardless of the distance!
OFFICE VOLUNTEERS. Human rights defender of the Viasna HRC and former political prisoner, Leanid Sudalenka, held a meeting with the volunteers of the Office. He showed a practical example of how to write and send letters of solidarity to political prisoners. For a recording of the meeting (in Belarusian), see the link.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to Politico (International), Zerkalo (Belarus), Yle (Sweden), Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), Kontekst (Latvia), Radio Unet (Belarus).
