“Dear Excellencies, colleagues,
Friends of democratic Belarus,
I’m so happy that finally we all gathered here in Berlin. We worked on this event for many months. And let me start with words of gratitude to our dear hosts, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for making this happen.
Huge thanks to Böll Foundation, FES and Friedrich Naumann Foundation – for your solidarity and support to democratic forces of Belarus.
And of course, congratulations to Anatol Liabedzka, who is behind the whole idea of this Alliance.
Let me heartily welcome here representatives of parliaments of Austria, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain. Also, we are joined online by parliamentarians from Ireland, USA and Ukraine – and by our long-time friend Andrius Kubilius from European Parliament. The largest part of our “Belarusian globe” is here.
Dear Juozas Olekas, thank you for your pro-Belarusian lead in the European Parliament. Paul Galles, thank you for your historical report in the PACE. Oleksii Honcharenko, thank you for your unwavering determination to punish the Lukashenka regime for all its crimes against Ukraine and against humanity.
I am happy to see among us Michal Kaminski. Michal, what we saw in Poland last month is truly remarkable. The peaceful transition of power through elections. This is something that we in Belarus can only dream about. And this is something we want to build – truly parliamentary democracy.
I feel that I am among friends today. Each of you, present here, have already contributed a lot to our cause. And each of you deserves words of gratitude.
Dear friends,
Groups for Democratic Belarus were created in 22 countries. Indeed, we have a strong international coalition of allies today.
I wish we had such broad international support in 2020. History could have gone another way. Belarus could already become democratic country. And the Russia war against Ukraine would never have started.
But history happens just once. Today, our common goal is to ensure that Belarusians don’t miss the next historical chance to get out from the claws of the Russian empire.
And I believe that, together, we can do it. In democracies, parliamentarians have great power. They shape the agenda and influence their government’s decisions.
MPs enjoy a greater freedom of calling things what they are. They can openly say that Lukashenka is a criminal, not a president. That Russia is de facto occupying Belarus. I believe that it is time to call evil, evil.
Indeed, the very concept of democracy is under attack today. And one of the main threats to democracy is Russian imperialism. It supports – and is supported by – dictators all over the world. Including Lukashenka.
He’s gradually selling Belarusian independence to Russia. Russian troops are stationed in Belarus. They illegally deployed Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. It’s done not only to blackmail the West, but also to fix the Russian control over Belarus for years ahead.
Let’s make an effort to bring Lukashenka to account. He has a long record of crimes. Orchestrating the migration crisis, abduction of Ukrainian children, crime of aggression, and crimes against humanity. In your countries, cases can be open under universal jurisdiction, as was done in Switzerland recently against a member of Lukashenka’s death squad.
You can adopt resolutions denouncing Lukashenka’s regime as criminal, calling for accountability and tribunal, as the Ukrainian parliament has done.
You can proclaim regime’s repressive bodies – such as Gubazik or KGB – as organizations supporting terrorism. The Czech Senate has already done so.
Same time, support the European aspirations of Belarusians. For us, the European Union is the only alternative to the “Russian world”, which is the world of violence, injustice and tyranny.
Only in the European Union, Belarus can preserve its independence, guarantee freedom and prosperity to all its citizens.
We are inspired by examples of countries that completed this inevitable historical transition years ago, like Poland, Czech republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia. Others – Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, – I’m sure, will reach the same goal in the near future.
We don’t want Belarus to be left behind in this historical development. Belarus must not become Putin’s consolation prize in the lost war. Democratic Belarus must be an integral part of the region’s security architecture. Only in this case will our neighbors be safe from Russia’s imperial ambitions.
We also have to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty and its European choice. Many Belarusian volunteers sacrificed their lives for the victory of Ukraine. Give Ukrainians everything they need to win the war. Because by helping Ukraine, you are also helping Belarus, and vice versa. The fates of our countries are intertwined. Free and European Belarus will be a mortal blow to Putin’s project of restoration of the Russian empire.
Investing time, money and attention into future democratic Belarus is not charity. It is an investment in safe Europe. It is an investment in democracy’s victory over Russian imperialism.
We’re already working towards Belarus’s European future. We have drafted the new Constitution. It must ensure that dictatorship will never repeat in Belarus. We also prepared numerous reforms, including reforms in the spheres of economy and transitional justice. We rely on your expertise in shaping the vision of New Belarus.
We are building an alternative system of power, which includes all our legitimate democratic structures, such as the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, democratic political parties.
Transparency, accountability, electivity – these are our advantages over Lukashenka’s rigid Soviet-type bureaucracy. We show Belarusians an alternative way of how the state can work.
The next step should be the legitimization of this alternative system of power. Which is not possible without international recognition. I would like to ask you, our dear friends, to bring up this issue in your parliaments and parliamentary assemblies.
I applaud the recent resolution by the European Parliament, presented by Petras Austravicius and supported by all factions. It clearly defines democratic Belarus as an EU strategic ally and partner. However, this is still the “soft law” which we should turn into “hard laws”. Parliaments should use their influence to make national governments act.
There are two other priorities that are a matter of emergency: political prisoners and Belarusians in exile.
First, political prisoners. Officially, we have at least 1500 recognized political prisoners, but the real number is much higher and growing every day. People are detained for comments on Instagram, for signing Ukrainian songs or even speaking Belarusian language.
Just recently, Aliaksandar Mantsevich from Rehiyanalaya Hazeta newspaper was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Three musicians from Tor Band got from 7,5 to 9 years in prison for their protest songs.
Political prisoners are passing through living hell. They are kept in punishment cells and solitary confinement for months. I haven’t heard about my husband Siarhei since March. I don’t know for sure if he’s even alive. The same situation is with Maryia Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka and many others. Many are in dire condition and might not survive.
We have to keep pressure on the regime and demand their immediate release. I am grateful to all of you who already took patronage over political prisoners. Almost 1000 already served their terms and need rehabilitation.
The second priority is supporting Belarusians in exile. Paul Galles who is present here, made a brilliant report in PACE on this matter. Hundreds of thousands fled Belarus because of repression. They can’t return home now, nor renew their documents abroad because of Lukashenka’s new decree.
We need a comprehensive solution here. Which would include issuing foreigners passports, prolonging residence permits, simplifying legalization procedures. From our side, we prepare to issue New Belarusian Passport, as Baltic countries were doing during the Soviet Occupation. I ask you to support and endorse this project in your parliaments as well.
Dear friends,
I invite you to join the International Day of Solidarity on November 12. On this day, three years ago, 31-year old Raman Bandarenka was killed in Minsk by Lukashenka’s thugs. This date would be a great occasion to remind the world about Belarus. I invite you to make statements on behalf of your groups. You can make a tweet or adopt a political prisoner, raise Belarusian white-red-white flags over your offices. Believe me: every act of solidarity matters.
Today, when Belarus is not high on the world’s agenda, we especially need this common effort. I’m positive that, one day, our persistence will give us victory. And, most importantly, will give Belarusians freedom.
Thank you. Zhyve Belarus!”
