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 and civil society. For the first time, it will be elected through online voting.
DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH BELARUS POLITICAL PRISONERS
May 21 is the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus. Belarusian diasporas, initiatives and activists have organized many events and gatherings that will last from May 19 to 25. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office gathered them into a single list. The Freedom Postcards initiative, led by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, launched a series of thematic posts with former political prisoners and famous Belarusians singing and reciting poems of political prisoners.
The dedicated Congress on Political Prisoners organized by the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic has been scheduled for May 23-25 in Prague.
STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE ON BELARUS
The Stockholm Conference on Belarus has been scheduled for May 21-22 as the result of agreements between the Belarusian democratic forces and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Belarusian and foreign politicians will take part in the conference. It will feature a number of discussions on national identity, political prisoners, and economic issues.
MEETING WITH EU MINISTERS OF CULTURE
On May 13, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke in Antwerp before the ministers of culture of the European Union countries. In her speech, the Belarusian leader emphasized the importance of preserving Belarusian culture. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also urged ministers to support projects that strengthen Belarusian identity and invite Belarusian artists in exile to European festivals and conferences, as well as art residencies. At the end of the speech, the leader presented the Minister-President of Flanders, Jan Jambon, with Ales Pushkin’s painting “Belarusian Sun” as a sign of friendship and gratitude for supporting Belarusians. The picture will be exhibited in one of the museums in Belgium. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “We cannot bring back the life of Ales, but we must restore our flag to his house and our motherland”.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also held bilateral meetings with the ministers of culture of Croatia, Lithuania and Estonia
VISIT TO POZNAŃ AND MEETINGS WITH POLISH MINISTERS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the Impact International Conference in Poznań, where she reflected on the prospects of political changes in Belarus and answered questions. She noted that Belarusians live in Stalinist conditions facing pressure and terror. During the conference, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya outlined practical steps through which the European community can help Belarusians. She also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, the Minister of European Affairs, Adam Szłapka, legendary Polish journalist Adam Michnik, historian Timothy Snyder, and others.
In addition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Belarusian diaspora in Poznań, joined by the Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Pavel Latushka, and Representative for National Revival, Alina Koushyk. More than 300 people attended the meeting. The meeting featured a discussion about the election to the Coordination Council, the new Belarusian passport project, the legalization of stay, and problems with the payment of pensions for Belarusians in Poland.
VISIT TO DENMARK
During her visit to Denmark on May 14-15, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Prime Minister of the country, spoke at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, spoke at a panel discussion on women’s leadership, and met with the Minister of Integration to solve the problems of the legalization of stay faced by Belarusians in Denmark. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also met with the former Prime Minister of Denmark and NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
“EUROPEAN OF THE YEAR” AWARD
On May 14, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya received the prestigious “European of the Year” award from the European Movement. It is awarded to persons who have made a significant contribution to European integration and society. In her speech, the Belarusian leader emphasized the importance of Belarus for Europe, highlighting that historically and culturally Belarus belongs to Europe.
BELARUS IN THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Youth Policy and Students, Marharyta Vorykhava, took part in the first meeting of the Council of Europe’s CDDEM. The meeting discussed the best ways to advance the implementation of the 10 Reykjavík Principles of Democracy. The participants agreed on a work plan to achieve the results defined in the Terms of Reference of the Committee by the Committee of Ministers.
Ms. Vorykhava also took part in the Confidence in Tomorrow youth event, which developed ideas and proposals for strengthening democracy, based on the values and principles of the Council of Europe, which are part of the common heritage of all people in Europe.
RESTRICTIONS AGAINST THE REGIME
Albania cancelled visa-free entry for diplomats and officials of the Lukashenka regime. This issue has been raised by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya with the Albanian authorities earlier.
SIGNAL IN BELARUSIAN
On May 19, the popular messenger Signal launched a Belarusian-language version. Signal is used by Belarusian journalists and activists for secure communication. This was the result of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s negotiations with the President of the Signal Foundation, Meredith Whittaker.
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Kristina Rikhter, gave an interview to Novy Chas. She talked about the difficulties and dangers faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Belarus. Ms. Rikhter highlighted the use of state propaganda to stigmatize and discriminate against its representatives, warning of possible new repressive laws. She also expressed concern over the general deterioration of the human rights situation in the country under the authoritarian regime. Ms. Richter took part in a live stream on the Instagram page of the Adno Akno project as part of an International Day Against Homophobia campaign.
MEDIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave an interview to Politiken. Several news articles (article 1, article 2, article 3) and a video report were released on RTI (Taiwan). An article and a video report were also released on RTI in Russian, as well as an article in English. The second episode of the show “Bez Retushi”, launched by Malanka and KANAPLEV+LEIDIK, was released.
