Opponents of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in exile met in Poland to show unity and decide on a new strategy ahead of the third anniversary of post-election protests, writes Reuters.
The government-in-exile established in 2022 by opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centers outside Belarus.
Tsikhanouskaya left the country after the 2022 Belarusian presidential elections and currently lives in Lithuania. Addressing several hundred activists, non-partisan media and human rights groups in a hotel in Warsaw, Tsikhanouskaya called on all oppositionists outside Belarus to unite and form the “New Belarus” movement.
The oppositionist said:
“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. 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.”
Tsikhanouskaya said that the opposition is organizing initiatives that will promote theater, books and education in the Belarusian language. Russian has long been the dominant language in Belarus, and
the authorities often consider the use of Belarusian as a sign of support for the opposition.
In 2020, when Lukashenko supposedly won the election, which many critics call unfair, widespread protests began. They lasted for several months until they were severely suppressed by the security services. This led to a large exodus of Belarusians from the country. Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and widely uses the violence of the authorities to fight his opponents.
Tsikhanouskaya’s husband is still in prison in Belarus.
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