On May 21, during her visit to Stockholm, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Belarusian diaspora in Sweden. Before her conversation with the participants and the rally of solidarity with political prisoners, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a speech:
«Dear Belarusians of Sweden, dear friends,
Today we mark the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners.
The very phrase – political prisoner – evokes a feeling of unbearable pain. This is a pain that no medication can relieve. It cannot be silenced.
It is a pain that stays with you during official meetings when you have to smile and maintain a conversation. This is pain that you go to bed with or wake up to.
And when you remember that you have not heard from your loved one for a long time, this pain only intensifies, and fears of the worst fill your mind.
I can’t help but wonder: If it hurts adults this much, imagine how much it hurts our children. My daughter starts crying at the mere mention of her father’s name.
It hurts me to think that someday she might forget his voice or what he looks like. That’s why I have hung photos of Siarhei on the walls of her room.
Pain can be paralyzing. That’s why I try to turn it into energy. I realize that my suffering will not help political prisoners. And those in captivity are counting on us.
I don’t know exactly what people feel in prisons but it seems to me that the biggest fear behind bars is the fear of being forgotten. And this is exactly what the regime is counting on.
Because when you feel support and solidarity, it gives you strength to keep fighting. You know that your suffering is not in vain, that the cause you sacrificed your freedom for is alive.
Political prisoners cannot speak today. But we can be their voices. I believe each of us present knows someone who is now in prison. We must tell their stories, be their advocates and their hope.
We must engage the international community more actively. It may seem that everyone knows about political prisoners in our country. But even here, in Sweden, there is very little information about Belarus, and even less about political prisoners.
We often complain that the international community forgets Belarus. But let’s ask ourselves: Have we done enough to fix this? Do we remind the media enough about ourselves? Do we hold enough public rallies, or join others under our flags as we did yesterday?
I believe that through the story of Halina Krasnianskaya, we can focus the attention of the Swedish public on Belarus again. Today I asked the Swedish parliament and government to launch a campaign for her release, and I hope that you, as the Swedish diaspora, will be the driving force behind this campaign.
Yesterday I spoke about political prisoners at the traditional Monday rally in support of Ukraine. And I was glad to see the white-red-white flags there. I don’t know if it was any of you, but later people came up to me and thanked us Belarusians for coming there and supporting Ukraine.
I know how much Belarusians in Sweden and the People’s Embassy do but I am confident that we can do even more. Engage other Belarusians who, for one reason or another, are not very engaged in the Belarusian cause. And of course, work with Swedish politicians and society to keep the issue of political prisoners and Belarus high on the agenda. And not just on the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, but every day.
Thank you very much! Long live Belarus!»
