Visit to the US, Coordination Council speakers, Tutaka Festival. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for July 8-14, 2024
VISIT TO THE USA From July 9 to 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Washington, where she participated in the NATO Public Forum at the invitation of the Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg. During the visit, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and co-authored an op-ed with Nancy Pelosi for The Washington Post, highlighting tyranny in […]
July 16, 2024
Release of political prisoners, visit to Latvia, Independence Day in Belarus, and Statehood Day in Vilnius. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for July 1-7, 2024
RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS The release of several political prisoners from Belarusian colonies was announced this week, including Ryhor Kastusiou, who has cancer. Most of the 15 released political prisoners were nearing the end of their sentences. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya released a statement calling for seeking freedom for all political prisoners. VISIT TO LATVIA Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya […]
July 08, 2024
Belarus–EU Consultative Group, meeting with Josep Borrell. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for June 24–30
BELARUS–EU CONSULTATIVE GROUP On June 25-26, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Brussels, where she participated in the third meeting of the Belarus–EU Consultative Group. The Belarusian side was represented by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, the Coordination Council, the United Transitional Cabinet, NGOs, human rights defenders, and the media. The EU, on the other hand, was represented by […]
July 02, 2024
Meetings with Council of Europe’s Secretary General and Armenian Foreign Minister, meeting with Belarusians in Vilnius. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for June 17-23
COOPERATION WITH COUNCIL OF EUROPE Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, at her office in Vilnius. They discussed the continued work of the Contact Group for Belarus’ civil society, steps towards developing a roadmap for Belarus’ accession to the Council of Europe, and the Information Point […]
June 25, 2024
Working visits to US, NED Democracy Medal, first meeting of new Coordination Council. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for June 10-16
VISIT TO US On 11-14 June, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had a working visit to Washington, DC, during which she met with the ambassadors and diplomats of the G7 countries and called for international support and sanctions pressure on the Lukashenka regime. She also met with the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives and senators, […]
June 17, 2024
Luxembourg Solutions for Belarus, updated Coordination Council. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for June 3-9
VISIT TO LUXEMBOURG On June 5-7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Luxembourg, where she met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Speaker of the Parliament, spoke at the Luxembourg Solutions conference focusing on resolving the problems faced by Belarusians in exile, including visas, legalization of stay, and support for national identity. The […]
June 10, 2024
Results of Coordination Council election, anniversary of Siarhei Tsikhanouski’s arrest, visit to Portugal. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for May 27-June 2
RESULTS OF THE COORDINATION COUNCIL ELECTION The Coordinating Council election was held on May 25-27. 80 delegates have been elected from 8 political groups and initiatives, including politicians, activists, and representatives of civil society and the media. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked all those who took part in the election despite the pressure and repression from the […]
June 04, 2024
Visit to Sweden, New Belarus Conference, Congress on Political Prisoners in Prague. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for May 20-26, 2024
VISIT TO SWEDEN At the beginning of the week, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya paid a working visit to Sweden. On May 20, the Belarusian leader met with the Prime Minister and the Minister for European Affairs of Sweden. During the meeting, the parties discussed support for Belarusian civil society and independent media, aid to political prisoners as […]
May 28, 2024
Speech before EU culture ministers, meeting with Belarusians in Poznań, Signal in Belarusian. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for May 13-19, 2024
CONFERENCE OF DEMOCRATIC FORCES IN WARSAW On May 19, the democratic forces held a conference in Warsaw, during which candidates for the Coordination Council presented their programs. Among the candidates are representatives of youth initiatives, NGOs, Belarusian volunteer fighters in Ukraine, bloggers, and politicians. The Coordination Council is a representative body of the democratic forces […]
May 20, 2024
Meetings in NATO, Victory Day, three scenarios for Belarus and region. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for May 6-12, 2024
MEETING WITH NATO OFFICIALS Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met for the first time with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. Additionally, within the framework of the North Atlantic Council, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a briefing for the permanent representatives of all NATO member countries. In total, the discussions lasted more than 4 hours. The dialogue on the political […]
May 13, 2024
Cooperation agreement between European Parliament and democratic forces, support fund for political prisoners. Updates Summary of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for April 29 – May 5, 2024
COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRATIC FORCES This week, during her working visit to Malta, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. They signed the Letter of Intent on Cooperation between the European Parliament and the Belarusian Democratic Forces. This is the first time the European Parliament has signed […]
May 06, 2024
Lithuanian Seimas against new restrictions on Belarusians, Chornobyl anniversary. Updates of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for April 22-28, 2024
LITHUANIAN SEIMAS DID NOT SUPPORT NEW RESTRICTIONS AGAINST BELARUSIANS The Seimas of Lithuania did not support new restrictions against Belarusians holding residence permits in Lithuania. The proposals included restrictions on travel to Belarus and allowed the migration authority to revoke the residence permits of Belarusians who frequently cross the border. Over the past few weeks, […]
April 29, 2024
Visits to Cyprus and Greece, reaction to potential restrictions against Belarusians in Lithuania. Summary of work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for April 8-14, 2024
On April 10, Belarusian political prisoner Aliaksandr Kulinich was reported to have died in prison. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya released a statement: “Every person in custody has the right to proper care and health protection. Obviously, this had not been provided to Aliaksandr. I express my deepest condolences to Aliaksandr’s relatives and loved ones. People are dying […]
April 14, 2024
Strengthening accountability for human rights violations in Belarus, handing over drones to Kastus Kalinouski Regiment. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for April 1-7, 2024
REGIME ACCOUNTABILITY. During its 55th session, the UN Human Rights Council adopted an important resolution aimed at strengthening accountability mechanisms for human rights violations in Belarus. The document establishes a special group consisting of three independent experts and extends the mandate of the special rapporteur on Belarus for one year. These measures are intended to […]
April 08, 2024
Freedom Day, visit to Czechia, Belarusian-language education in Vilnius. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for March 25-31, 2024
FREEDOM DAY. On March 25, Belarusians celebrated Freedom Day all around the world. On this occasion, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the Belarusian people: “All these years made us appreciate our Belarusian solidarity. As long as we stand together and do not give up, we keep moving step by step towards our victory”. Later, the Belarusian leader […]
April 01, 2024
3rd Conference of Belarusian Diaspora, Belarus Day at European Parliament, Kalinowski Conference. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for March 18-24, 2024
On March 22, a terrorist attack took place outside Moscow. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya commented on the event and urged Belarusians to take care of their safety, avoid crowds of people, and assess the situation in the country. CONFERENCE OF BELARUSIAN DIASPORA. On March 23-24, the Third Conference of the Belarusian Diaspora took place in Prague, organized […]
March 25, 2024
628 postcards for political prisoners from MEPs, meeting with Bi-2 band, conference in Lithuanian Seimas. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for March 11-17, 2024
SOLIDARITY WITH POLITICAL PRISONERS. On March 11-14, the European Parliament held a campaign of solidarity with political prisoners in Belarus. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor for Constitutional Reform and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka, attended one of the events within the framework of the campaign. As the politician said, as part of the #EPSTANDSBYYOU initiative, members of the […]
March 17, 2024
One year of “incommunicado”, first visit to Bulgaria, meeting with the President of the European Commission. Results of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, March 4-10, 2024
POLITICAL PRISONERS. On March 8th Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the briefing near the mural of Aleś Bialiatski in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Lithuania. The briefing was dedicated to the incommunicado regime. Lukashenka’s regime has been keeping Siarhei Tsikhanouski incommunicado for a year already. The participants held posters and photos of political prisoners, […]
March 11, 2024
UN address, Belarusian Business Forum in Washington. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for February 26-March 3, 2024
A tragedy occurred this week in Warsaw. In the very center of the capital, a woman from Belarus was found barely alive with signs of rape. On March 1, she was reported to have died. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya made a statement: “ I can’t describe all the pain I feel right now. But I also feel […]
March 03, 2024
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s address throughout Belarus, marathon “I Choose New Belarus”. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for February 19-25, 2024
ADDRESS IN BELARUS. On February 24, at 3:00 p.m., Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s video address to Belarusians was broadcast throughout Belarus on the occasion of the anniversary of the large-scale war in Ukraine and the regime’s sham election. It is estimated that the video could have been shown on more than 2,000 screens in total – in […]
February 25, 2024
Munich Security Conference, meeting with Yulia Navalnaya. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for February 12-18, 2024
MUNICH CONFERENCE. On February 15-18, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was on a working visit to Germany, where she took part in the Munich Security Conference. During the forum, the Belarusian leader joined four panel discussions focusing on cyber security, ways to defend democracy and counter information manipulation, civil resistance, and the role of women in the struggle […]
February 18, 2024
European Parliament urgent resolution on Belarus, Roadmap for Democratization of School Education. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for February 5–11, 2024
MEETING WITH BELARUSIAN NGOs IN LITHUANIA. On February 8, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with representatives of 12 Belarusian organizations and initiatives in Lithuania. The meeting focused on ways to improve Lithuanian-Belarusian relations, organize joint events and campaigns, collaborate with Lithuanian media, and address migration problems and safety issues faced by Belarusians abroad. SUPPORT FOR BELARUSIAN BLOGGERS. […]
February 11, 2024
Session of Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, speech at European Greens Congress. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for January 29 to February 4, 2024
VISIT TO STRASBOURG. As part of her visit to Strasbourg, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which was attended by leaders and representatives from 45 countries. She delivered a speech, calling for support for civil society, media, human rights defenders, and the two-year work plan […]
February 04, 2024
PACE resolution, discussion of legalization of stay at Lithuanian MFA. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for January 22-28, 2024
PACE RESOLUTION ON BELARUS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. As the high point of her speech, she invited the Council of Europe to include future democratic Belarus in its activities. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also participated in debates following the report on Belarus presented by […]
January 28, 2024
World Economic Forum meetings, 1863 Uprising memorial events in Vilnius. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for January 15-21, 2024
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. For the second year in a row, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos to represent Belarusians’ position on the situation in the region and the war in Ukraine, secure the support of international organizations and political leaders, and find new allies and partners. The Belarusian leader spoke twice […]
January 22, 2024
Meetings with new Polish government, Belarus-Finland Conference. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for January 8-14, 2024
VISIT TO POLAND. On January 8-10, the Belarusian leader, along with representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet, was in Warsaw on a working visit. She met with key Polish politicians: President Andrzej Duda, Speakers of the Sejm and Senate, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Sport and Tourism, Minister of Education, Minister for European […]
January 14, 2024
Summary of work of democratic forces for 2023
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office was in close cooperation with the United Transitional Cabinet, the Coordination Council, diaspora organizations, independent initiatives, and political parties to implement a number of campaigns and projects aimed at protecting the interests of Belarusians, increasing pressure on the regime, preparing for a democratic transition, and supporting the repressed. Preparing for democratic transition […]
December 28, 2023
Democratization of Higher Education Roadmap. Results of the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office for December 18-24, 2023
ROADMAP. This week, the Office’s Education Team presented the Roadmap for the Democratization of Higher Education in Belarus. The document had been developed by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in cooperation with the United Transitional Cabinet and a group of education experts and professionals. The Roadmap is a plan of action for the first 50, […]
December 25, 2023
Parliamentary groups in 23 countries, 4 law projects for New Belarus. Anatoli Liabedzka presented summary of Office’s work for 2023
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor for Interparliamentary Cooperation and Constitutional Reform, Anatoli Liabedzka, presented a report on the work of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in 2023. Compared to 2022, the number of groups “For a Democratic Belarus” has increased from 13 to 23 countries worldwide. Additionally, they united into an Alliance, forming a robust international coalition in support […]
December 20, 2023