NEW BELARUS CONFERENCE
The annual New Belarus Conference took place in Warsaw on August 7–9, bringing together around 300 participants, including ordinary Belarusians, representatives of the democratic forces, politicians, and international partners. On August 7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke at three side events. On August 8, she delivered a welcome speech, participated in panel discussions, and closed the conference with a final address outlining its key outcomes.
Read the conference summary and view the photos on Flickr.
WOMEN’S BREAKFAST
On August 9, ahead of Day Two of the New Belarus Conference, a Women’s Breakfast with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took place in Warsaw. The informal gathering brought together more than 50 Belarusian women and international partners, creating a space to strengthen community ties and solidarity and exchange experiences. Participants included representatives of Belarusian civil society organizations and initiatives, graduates of the Women’s Political Leadership Academy, New Belarus Conference speakers and moderators, former political prisoners, as well as foreign diplomats and partners.
RALLY IN VILNIUS
A rally was held in Vilnius to commemorate the protests that started in Belarus on August 9, 2020. Belarusians and friends of Belarus gathered in Cathedral Square to remember the events of 2020 and once again remind the world that Belarus and Belarusians continue to choose freedom. The participants then marched through the city center to the Embassy of Belarus. Dzianis Kuchynski, as the Director of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Vilnius, delivered a speech at the rally.
RALLY IN WARSAW
On August 9, Belarusians also marked Dignity Day in Warsaw. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya joined the event, along with representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet and the Coordination Council, Ukraine’s Ambassador-at-Large (MFA) Iaroslav Chornogor, Polish public figure and journalist Adam Michnik, representatives of civil society, and the Belarusian diaspora in Warsaw. Addressing the crowd, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya recalled the remarkable Belarusian moment six years ago, when neither experts, authorities, nor security services could predict that millions of Belarusians would take to the streets.
MEETING BETWEEN DZIANIS KUCHYNSKI AND LITHUANIA’S MIGRATION DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR INDRĖ GASPARĖ
A meeting between the Director of the Vilnius Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchynski, and the Director of the Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, Indrė Gasparė, took place at the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The parties discussed the current migration situation, humanitarian support for Belarusians fleeing repression, and practical steps to simplify administrative procedures and facilitate the integration of the Belarusian community in Lithuania.
ADDRESS ON AUGUST 9
On the sixth anniversary of the 2020 protests in Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Belarusians and the international community: “Our fight is not over. We are committed to finishing what we’ve started in 2020. I do believe that Belarus can be a success story – a story of transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
MEDIA
Frontline by Times Radio (the United Kingdom), Euroradio (Belarus), I Grianul Grem (International), Salidarnasts (Belarus), Belsat (Belarus), Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy (Poland), Euronews (International), TVP World (International), Polskie Radio (Poland), Polskie Radio (Poland), Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy (Poland), Euroradio (Belarus)
