VISIT TO AUSTRALIA
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Australia, meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong (who invited her to visit the country), House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick, Australian Council of Trade Unions President Michele O’Neil, and former Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott.
The key topics included international accountability and justice, support for Belarusian journalists, trade unions, and human rights defenders, Australia’s pressure on the Lukashenka and Putin regimes, Belarus–Australia ties in education and culture, as well as protection of the Belarusian diaspora and solutions for legal stay and passport recognition.
In Melbourne, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya met with MPs from Victoria to discuss support for Belarusians in Australia. The MPs decided to establish a “For Democratic Belarus” Parliamentary Group and consider assistance to repressed Belarusians and Belarusian volunteers fighting in Ukraine.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya also took part in a roundtable with representatives of the Liberal Party; delivered speeches at the Australian National University, a conference on authoritarian convergence, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and Swinburne University in Melbourne.
She laid flowers at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne and took part in a formal ceremony with representatives of the Belarusian diaspora and Australian authorities.
Read more about the visit’s outcomes.
VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND
At the beginning of the week, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya paid a working visit to New Zealand. She met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, and called on the government to support Belarus’ democratic forces and join international initiatives and humanitarian projects.
She delivered a lecture at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.
Read more about the visit’s outcomes.
UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY TO BELARUS
US President Donald Trump nominated John Coale as the Special Envoy to Belarus. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya commented on the appointment: “This is an important and encouraging step – a sign that Belarus and our political prisoners remain in the focus of the United States’ attention. Together with John Coale and his team, we have been working for several months to bring our people home, to stop the repression, and to give hope to those still behind bars. We deeply appreciate these efforts and will continue doing everything we can to see everyone free as soon as possible”.
BELARUS’ FOURTH UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW AT THE UN
The 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva discussed Belarus’ record under the Fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The regime tried to conceal the real scale of violations. However, according to the alternative report by Belarusian human rights groups, almost none of the recommendations from previous cycles have been implemented, and the level of repression remains critical. Democratic countries, including the United Kingdom and New Zealand, condemned the Lukashenka regime’s actions, called for the release of political prisoners, the abolition of the death penalty, and respect for human rights in line with international standards.
PAVEL TERESHKOVICH’S COMMENT ON EDUCATION FUNDING IN BELARUS
In an interview, Pavel Tereshkovich noted that education funding in Belarus remains critically low, making it impossible to ensure decent conditions for learning and teaching. The main problem is the meager salaries of teachers and professors. He stressed that without significant funding increases, the education system faces further stagnation.
LEANID MAROZAU’S ADDRESS ON INTERNATIONAL SEARCH WARRANTS AND PROTECTION OF BELARUSIANS
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Leanid Marozau, confirmed that the Lukashenka regime continues to misuse Interpol to persecute political activists in exile, including through fabricated “drug-related cases”. He spoke on how Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office counters these efforts.
OSTROGSKI FORUM 2025
On November 11–15, the Belarus–Ukraine 2025 Ostrogski (Astrozhski) Forum will take place in Lviv and Kyiv, focusing on strengthening cooperation between Belarusian and Ukrainian democratic initiatives, educational and cultural projects. The Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will be represented by Franak Viacorka, Anatoli Liabedzka, and Sviatlana Shatsilina, who will present the democratic community’s vision for regional partnerships and discuss support for Belarusians facing repression and exile.
BELARUSIAN ON INTERPOL LIST ALLOWED TO LEAVE ARMENIA
Armenia allowed the departure of a Belarusian citizen who was wanted internationally at the request of the Lukashenka regime. She had previously been detained on politically motivated charges and had to flee Belarus after the events of 2020. With the support of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the National Anti-Crisis Management, human rights defenders, and the Public Verdict Foundation, the Armenian Prosecutor’s Office allowed her to leave the country, and she is now safe in the European Union.
UKRAINE TO CONSIDER A DRAFT LAW ON BELARUSIAN FIGHTERS
The draft law on the status of Belarusian volunteer fighters in Ukraine has been submitted for consideration to the Verkhovna Rada, reported Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation, Anatoli Liabedzka. He noted that this is the result of work launched in March during a roundtable in Kyiv, and now there is a short window for proposals and comments. According to Liabedzka, proposals have already been sent to the Ukrainian side.
MEDIA
АВС (Australia), Sky News (Australia), Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), The Age (Australia), Newsroom (New Zealand), ABC Radio (Australia), The Moscow Times (International), La Croix (France), Kathimerini (Greece).
