Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko met in Poland on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of “New Belarus” passports.
Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad.
Tsikhanouskaya, 40, a former English teacher who fled after running against Lukashenko in a 2020 vote critics called rigged, said the opposition would seek international recognition for the alternative passports.
Speaking at a hotel in Warsaw to several hundred activists, including independent media and civic groups, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the creation of a “New Belarus” movement.
“Unfortunately, the past three years have taught us to always prepare for the worst. We are used to the fact that the strongest desire is not enough to change a rotten system,” she said at the opposition’s second annual gathering after last year’s meeting in Lithuania.
“We are used to the fact that due to the regime’s policy, our peaceful Belarus is today called an aggressor country – and put on the same level as Russia.”
Russia used ally Belarus as a launchpad for its invasion of Ukraine.
‘PRESERVE IDENTITY’
Tsikhanouskaya said the opposition was organising initiatives to promote Belarusian-language theatre, book printing and education.
“This allows us to preserve our identity – and to pass on our national values to the new generation of Belarusians,” Tsikhanouskaya said.
Russia has long been the de facto first language, with use of Belarusian viewed by authorities as being pro-opposition.
Protests over Lukashenko’s 2020 election win, which was officially a landslide, lasted for several months before being snuffed out by security forces, triggering a mass exodus of Belarusians.
Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad.
Tsikhanouskaya’s husband Syarhei Tsikhanouski has been in jail since 2020 after being barred from taking part in the election that his wife contested instead.
(Reporting by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko convened in Poland on Sunday, just before the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to demonstrate solidarity and formulate a strategy that includes the issuance of “New Belarus” passports. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who established the self-declared government-in-exile in August 2022, revealed that they have launched over 20 alternative embassies and information centers worldwide. Tsikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who fled after participating in the 2020 election against Lukashenko, which critics deemed fraudulent, stated that the opposition will seek international recognition for the alternative passports.
Addressing hundreds of activists, independent media, and civic groups at a hotel in Warsaw, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the establishment of a “New Belarus” movement. She stated, “Unfortunately, the past three years have taught us to always prepare for the worst. We are used to the fact that the strongest desire is not enough to change a rotten system,” referring to the opposition’s second annual gathering following last year’s meeting in Lithuania. Tsikhanouskaya also highlighted the regime’s policy, which has resulted in Belarus being labeled an aggressor nation on par with Russia, with the latter utilizing Belarus as a launchpad for its invasion of Ukraine.
To maintain their identity and transmit national values to future generations of Belarusians, Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that the opposition is organizing initiatives to promote Belarusian-language theater, book printing, and education. The use of the Belarusian language has long been regarded as pro-opposition by authorities, as Russia has been the de facto dominant language. Protests against Lukashenko’s allegedly landslide victory in the 2020 election persisted for several months until they were suppressed by security forces, prompting a mass exodus of Belarusians. Since 1994, Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist, employing security forces to intimidate, assault, and imprison his adversaries or compel them to flee abroad.
Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Tsikhanouskaya’s husband, has been incarcerated since 2020 after being barred from participating in the election that his wife contested in his place.
(Source: Reporting by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
