MEETING WITH POLISH PRESIDENT KAROL NAWROCKI
On January 13, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. This was the first bilateral meeting in Warsaw since Karol Nawrocki’s election as president; previously, the leaders had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Mr. Nawrocki and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya discussed:
- the releases of political prisoners;
- the situation of Andrzej Poczobut;
- possible joint initiatives to support the Belarusian community in Poland;
- relations with the United States administration;
- the regional security situation.
In addition, President Nawrocki held a reception for Belarusians that brought together more than 150 people, including journalists, bloggers, cultural figures, human rights defenders, politicians, actors, musicians, and athletes. In his speech, President Nawrocki emphasized that Poland has supported and will continue to support Belarusians in their struggle for freedom, and recalled a number of historical events that unite Belarusians and Poles.
MEETINGS WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS AND VOLNYJA
During a visit to Warsaw on January 14, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with volunteers who provide daily assistance to political prisoners from Belarus and their families. Around 40 people took part in the discussion, including representatives of Volnyja, who support former political prisoners in adaptation and resocialization. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed deep gratitude to the volunteers for their kindness, dedication, and humanity, and highlighted the importance of their work in maintaining support for those affected by repression.
In addition, together with Pavel Latushka, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with political prisoners who were released in December and deported to Ukraine before being transferred to Poland. The discussion focused on residency issues, settling in Poland, prospects for further releases, and security concerns. More than 40 released political prisoners took part in the meeting.
MEETING WITH THE LITHUANIAN SEIMAS GROUP “FOR A DEMOCRATIC BELARUS”
On January 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with members of the “For a Democratic Belarus” Group in the Seimas of Lithuania. Representatives of both the ruling coalition and the opposition took part. The group is chaired by Ruslanas Baranovas, who represents the ruling Social Democratic Party.
The discussions focused on:
- the security and political situation;
- next steps toward the release of political prisoners;
- the status of sanctions on the transit of potash fertilizers;
- challenges faced by Belarusians in Lithuania;
- the situation around the Belarusian Community and Culture Center in Vilnius;
- the group’s work plan for 2026.
MEETING WITH ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MARGUS TSAHKNA
On January 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, in Vilnius. She thanked Minister Tsahkna for supporting those repressed in Belarus, the International Humanitarian Fund, and the Representation of Democratic Belarus in Tallinn.
The meeting covered the security situation in the region, developments in Iran and Venezuela, the process and next steps toward the release of political prisoners, relations with the United States, joint initiatives in international organizations, and the European Union’s sanctions policy. Mr. Tsahkna and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also discussed the work of the Representation of Democratic Belarus in Tallinn and the possibility of expanding its activities to neighboring countries, cooperation with the Nordic countries and the Nordic–Baltic Eight, the participation of released political prisoners in international conferences in Tallinn, a possible conference on Belarus, and efforts toward the recognition of the New Belarusian Passport.
MEETING WITH POLISH SENATE SPEAKER MAŁGORZATA KIDAWA-BŁOŃSKA
On January 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Pavel Latushka and Artsiom Brukhan met with the Speaker of the Senate of Poland, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Poland for hosting released political prisoners and for the exceptional support provided by the Polish state and Parliament. Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, in turn, expressed support for the democratic forces of Belarus and emphasized that Poland will continue to seek the release of all political prisoners, including Andrzej Poczobut, and will continue to assist Belarusians in Poland.
The sides discussed cooperation between the democratic forces of Belarus and the Senate of Poland, including a possible memorandum of cooperation.
MEETING WITH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VICE-PRESIDENT PINA PICIERNO
On January 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, at the Office in Vilnius. They addressed the current situation of political prisoners in Belarus, regional security, and the role of the European Union in countering authoritarianism. They also discussed support for Belarus’ European perspective and the preparation of a roadmap for closer cooperation with the EU and the Council of Europe.
MEETING WITH SPANISH STATE SECRETARY DIEGO MARTÍNEZ BELÍO
During a visit to Madrid on January 15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, held a meeting with the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío.
They identified key areas of cooperation with the democratic forces of Belarus and discussed pressing international and humanitarian issues, the situation of political prisoners, as well as the sanctions of the European Union and Spain against the Lukashenka regime.
A separate topic of the meeting was the opening of a Mission of Democratic Belarus in Madrid, which could become an important coordination hub for the activities of the democratic forces and for supporting Belarusians in Spain.
HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN BELARUS IN 2025
The Viasna Human Rights Center published its annual report documenting the real state of human rights in Belarus. Key findings of the report are as follows:
- In 2025, the practice of “silent repression” intensified. Public information about court hearings was discontinued, while access to the database of court decisions was closed;
- Over the year, two people died behind bars, and three died after their release, along with new testimonies of torture and ill-treatment;
- For participation in the 2020 protests, at least 643 people were convicted under Article 342, with persecution continuing even after statutes of limitations had expired;
- Despite pardons, the number of political prisoners continued to grow – on average, around 40 new cases were recognized each month.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Leanid Marozau, welcomed the report and spoke about how international justice works to restore the rule of law in Belarus.
IMPACT OF RECENT EVENTS IN VENEZUELA ON BELARUS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, analyzed what recent events in Venezuela mean for Belarus and why the situation around Nicolás Maduro is causing concern for the regime in Belarus: “The governance system in Belarus is inefficient, and the economic model is a dead end. If everything were normal, Belarus’ GDP would have been approximately three times larger”.
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN DAVOS
Next week, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will travel to Davos to speak at the World Economic Forum and hold a series of political meetings. The focus will be on political prisoners, ending repression, and ways to resolve the political crisis.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “It is important for me that Belarus is heard about, that we are distinguished from Russia, and that Belarusians are not equated with the regime”.
MEDIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews and comments to Polskie Radio in Belarusian, Polskie Radio (1, 2), Polskie Radio 24, Rzeczpospolita (all Poland), and Haaretz Daily (Israel).
