Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appoints Valery Kavaleuski as her representative on international affairs. And we are talking about forty people in a five-person cell, where they can’t even sit down. Section BBC News. Several people have told me, “Stop saying that you are weak—you’ve already shown that you are strong.” I used to say that I wasn’t a politician. I hope that I’ve shocked them to their core. Kalesnikava was arrested after she refused to leave the country.) So would sanctioning these people that no one’s heard of mean banning them from entering the E.U.? I’ll be honest with you, though: these committees are growing, but at the rate of something like five members a day, and that’s not enough. I grew up in a family that taught us to always be grateful. Now I see that although they have been expressing their concern—their solidarity—there is nothing they can really do. But people lower down—the principals of the schools where election results were falsified, the Interior Ministry troops whom we’ve been able to identify, heads of jails, hospital directors who fire doctors for speaking out—they’ve never faced sanctions before. How do people react when you describe this? Three women—Tsepkalo’s wife, Veronika; Babaryka’s campaign director, Maria Kalesnikava; and Tsikhanouskaya—joined forces and put Tsikhanouskaya forward as the opposition candidate for President. The day after the election, Tsikhanouskaya entered the building of the central election commission in Minsk; the following day, she posted a video in which she said that she had been forced to leave the country. Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya) announced a “people’s ultimatum” addressed to the Belarusian authorities on Tuesday, October 13. Belarus has put opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on its wanted list for allegedly making calls to overthrow the constitutional order, the RIA news agency … I write “leader of democratic Belarus.” I’ve decided not to identify myself as the President-elect, because I feel that I don’t have the moral authority to do so. In her speeches, she always referred to her husband’s arrest as the main reason for her political activity. Since then, she has been based in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. But on the outside, they just go on talking about what can be done. But I say, “Can you imagine the bloodshed?” I know that people are suffering behind bars, but at least they are alive. His main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was said to have received only 10% of the vote. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has spent more than half of her short political career in exile. Lukashenka claimed victory, however. EMail There is no water in the cells, no soap. A lot of people have asked me, and some demanded, that I call myself the President-elect, but I’m a stickler for rules, maybe too much of one. Her husband, the businessman Siarhei Tsikhanouski, often used his popular YouTube channel to criticize the regime of the dictator Alexander Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for twenty-six years. Twitter Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will meet European leaders this week in a bid to up pressure on dictator Alexander Lukashenko … But now, gradually, strike committees are starting to form and people are making a considered decision to join them, not an impulsive one like when they first went out into the streets. We are asking for loans to these companies, purchases from them, and supplies of raw materials and spare parts to be temporarily suspended. My role is no more and no less important than that of any Belarusian today—it’s just that the Belarusian people have given me the right to speak for them on the world stage and to make certain decisions. Sparks widespread protests in Belarus and international condemnation. So was another opposition candidate, Viktar Babaryka. Have you congratulated President-elect Joe Biden? Education News || Politics News || Journal News || Daily Local News || Lifetime Fitness || Sports News || Automotive News Source. Yes, we congratulated him as soon as the results were announced. Six months ago, the former English teacher was a stay-at … Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has spent more than half of her short political career in exile. I always try to talk about specific people. I think “leader of democratic Belarus” is the best description, because it reflects what we are trying to build together. All the documentation of the election has been destroyed, so I can no longer obtain proof. How is that possible?”. Veronika Tsepkalo left Belarus just before the election. We try to appeal to their conscience, saying, “You proclaim the primacy of human rights, and look what’s happening in the country next door, while all you do is express concern. Tsikhanouskaya went to one piece in particular, at Potsdamer Platz, which activists had painted in Belarus' national colors — red and white — in support of the anti-government movement. Medical care is not available. ", Send Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Belarus to oppose long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and use #BBC100Women. (The two women who aided her are in exile and jail. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Ambassador of Israel With time, she stood not only for his freedom, but for the freedom of all Belarusians. She … I am gradually coming to realize that I shouldn’t be grateful for mere statements of concern—that we need to demand concrete action. The more he cracks down, the easier it gets for me, of course. In May, as Belarus prepared for the quinquennial ritual that Lukashenka calls a Presidential election, Tsikhanouski, who had planned to run, was arrested. But many are feeling very disappointed and frustrated. This is how society is formed. We have Special Teams for Politics, Finance, Education, Science, Tech and for many other domains, for providing you News in them. There’s a constant state of tension between what I feel I can do and what I have to do. It’s done in order to crush your spirit, so that you wouldn’t even dream of continuing to protest after you are released. Lukashenka’s forces have cracked down brutally, jailing upward of a thousand protesters some weekends, but the demonstrations continue. I’m afraid of becoming like that, but that’s what I used to think a politician was. Published. Tsikhanouskaya said she hoped Germany would offer support and investments to bolster independent media and civil society, according to a post on her Instagram account. Lukashenko’s crushing victory over his popular, inexperienced challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has triggered the largest and the most sustained wave of … Our principled stand on nonviolence restrains us quite a bit. Don’t downplay the skills you’ve acquired in this time.” Dalia schooled me. "It's the same in Belarus: we are on this wall and we are going to tear it down. Lukashenko's crushing victory over his popular, inexperienced challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has triggered the largest and the most sustained wave of … That nightstick is used to rape people, women and men. In jails, some of the guards say, “We won’t let you leave here without COVID.” They will intentionally place infected inmates in cells with protesters. ... Germany would offer support and investments to bolster independent media and civil society, according to a post on her Instagram account. Belarusian Leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Receives Sakharov Prize From EU Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged the European Union to step up its support for pro-democracy protesters in her country, as she picked up the EU's top human rights prize on Wednesday, on behalf of a group of opposition leaders. Two months ago, I couldn’t bring myself to say words like “dictator” or “usurper” about Lukashenka. We want them to know that when we say “violence,” we are not talking about someone being hit with a nightstick once. Tsikhanouskaya and her supporters refused to recognize the results of the vote, saying it was riddled with fraud, and some poll workers have backed up that claim. When I was just a regular person, I used to think that Europe was so close and so big, and its leaders so powerful that they would surely do something; they couldn’t stand idly by. It’s just humiliation. ", Later in the evening on Tuesday, representatives from Merkel's conservative bloc presented the opposition leader with an original piece of the Berlin Wall, which described as a "symbol of freedom.". Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Ambassador of Israel 10 December 2020 в 14:42 Lithuania's Prosecutor General has launched a pre-trial investigation under universal jurisdiction into crimes against humanity under a complaint by a Belarusian citizen Our working group has calculated that even if everything stops, the regime will have the resources to keep going for another couple of months. You have to sit down at the table with leaders with the confidence that you are a leader, that you know what you are talking about. Earlier on Tuesday, Tsikhanouskaya visited a fragment of the Berlin Wall ahead of her meeting with Merkel, saying she took inspiration from the symbol and hoped it could galvanize similar change in her homeland. Her husband, the businessman Siarhei Tsikhanouski, often used his popular YouTube channel to criticize the regime of the dictator Alexander Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for twenty-six years. Belarus has responded to new EU sanctions by canceling the accreditation of all foreign journalists and drawing up a travel blacklist forbidding entry. She is in the German capital seeking to shore up international support for her cause. The statement appeared on the official Telegram channel for her press service. Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been put on a wanted list in her own country. We’ve been working on instituting economic sanctions for months now, and it’s all so slow and complicated. When you talk about the crackdown in Belarus, what do you say? But the risk that they would land on this sanction list and, say, get barred from taking a shopping trip to Poland or Lithuania could counterbalance that fear. 13 hours ago. The European Union awarded its top human rights prize Thursday to the opposition movement in Belarus and its leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, for their challenge to … Every time I meet with heads of state, I try to convey this pain. Six months ago, the former English teacher was a stay-at-home mom. Maybe it’s because of my country’s dictatorship that my conception of a politician was flawed. I’ve had to become tougher, and that’s difficult. to impose economic sanctions against major industrial enterprises, such as [the oil giant] Naftan, and [the fertilizer manufacturers] Belaruskali and Grodno Azot. At first, when we started speaking publicly—especially before big audiences, like national parliaments—I would bring large photographs. Every Belarusian is overcoming their fears right now, and I have to do that, too. Partner of dead Belarus protester believes police shot him. Six months ago, the former English teacher was a stay-at-home mom. You can find more information in our data protection declaration. Tsikhanouskaya also visited the Berlin Wall, calling it a "symbol of freedom. Tsikhanouskaya, who claims victory in Belarus's presidential election two months ago, accuses President Lukashenko of hanging on to power only via massive electoral fraud. 2020-08-09 Disputed Belarusian presidential election sees long time dictator Alexander Lukashenko officially win 80% of the votes but unofficially lose 60-70% of the votes to main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Leuchanka said that the protest she was at was peaceful. Related. I might be wrong to say no. We use cookies to improve our service for you. It’s another to see pictures: of a person who is blue all over after being beaten in detention, juxtaposed with our peaceful protests, demonstrators carrying flowers. Some people call me the leader of the opposition, but that’s inaccurate, because we are the majority. So that may be my mistake. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Is Overcoming Her Fears, 13-year-old killed in violent carjacking in Pico Rivera, Priest Sues California Gov. "I am very grateful to Germany and all the German parties who are so supportive of the Belarusian people in their fight for freedom, in their fight for new honest and transparent elections," Tsikhanouskaya said after the meeting, which lasted 45 minutes. Tsikhanouskaya also gifted Merkel a white and red umbrella — the colors used during the long-running mass protests demanding Lukashenko's resignation. It’s one thing to hear “thirty thousand people detained”—numbers don’t move anyone. 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