SIMPLIFIED PASSPORT AND MIGRATION PROCEDURES FOR BELARUSIANS IN SWEDEN
The Swedish Migration Agency has updated its legal position regarding Belarusians who cannot safely return to Belarus to obtain a new passport. The changes allow them, in certain cases, to obtain an alien’s passport and apply for or extend a residence permit without a valid Belarusian passport.
DZIANIS KUCHYNSKI’S MEETING AT POLAND’S FOREIGN MINISTRY
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, held a meeting with Poland’s Foreign Minister’s Plenipotentiary for Cooperation with the Democratic Forces of Belarus, Adam Hałaciński, and Deputy Director of the Eastern Department at Poland’s MFA, Grzegorz Poznański. The meeting focused on cooperation between Poland’s MFA and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, international protection for Belarusians, and efforts to counter propaganda. Poland’s policy towards Belarusians has not changed. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office encourages Belarusians to carefully prepare documents and evidence when applying for international protection.
SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA’S ADDRESS REGARDING RUSSIA’S ATTEMPTS TO RECRUIT BELARUSIANS FOR THE WAR
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya addressed Belarusians, calling on them not to respond to Russian offers to take part in the war against Ukraine or share their personal data with recruiters. She also highlighted the emergence of recruitment websites in the Belarusian domain zone and warned of the security risks for Belarusians.
DISCUSSION IN PRAGUE ON THE SITUATION IN BELARUS AND CZECHIA’S EXPERIENCE OF DEMOCRATIC CHANGE
On August 10, Prague hosted a discussion marking the sixth anniversary of the 2020 Belarusian protests and examining Czechia’s experience on its path from the Prague Spring to the Velvet Revolution. The event was organized by the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic and the Twentieth Century Memorial Museum. Participants discussed what lessons from the Czech struggle for freedom could be useful for Belarus. In a video address, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for preserving the memory of repression, documenting it, and remaining persistent in the struggle for a democratic future.
MEDIA
DW Belarus, Postimees (Estonia), Belsat (Belarus), VOT TAK (Poland), Radyio Ratsyia (Belarus), Aktuality.sk (Slovakia), Radyio Ratsyia (Belarus), Euronews (International), Euroradio (Belarus), CNN (International).
