HOTEL BRISTOL (Nettavisen): – The revolution in 2020 raised a political awareness for many in Belarus, Svjatlana Tsikhanowskaja writes in an email to Nettavisen.
2020 was an election year in Belarus, and Tsikhanowskaja’s husband was the opposition leader challenging Belarus’ dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko.
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Brutal dictator
Lukashenko was elected president in 1994. Since then, he has given himself more and more power and reversed the democratic processes carried out after the fall of the Soviet Union.
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The opposition in Belarus rallied around politician Sergej Tikhanovsky, Svyatlana’s husband before the 2020 elections.
Sergej was arrested on 29 May 2020, ahead of the election that year. Since then he has been in prison, and Svyatlana has been the face of the opposition in Belarus for just as long.
As expected, the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko announced a landslide victory in the election. The election was not recognized by Western countries.
The opposition itself claims that Svjatlana Tsikhanowskaja won with over 60 percent of the vote.
Following the election, she submitted a formal complaint, but it resulted in her being escorted out of the country to Lithuania where she now lives in exile.
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Huge demonstrations
– The Belarusians realized that we are an independent nation, with dignity. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest against the dictatorship, injustice and violence. It proves how the regular Belarusian cares about the country’s future, believes Tsikhanowskaja.
The protests were brutally suppressed by Lukashenko’s regime. Instead of a democratic revolution as we saw in Ukraine in 2014, the regime succeeded in crushing the opposition.
– Due to the unimaginable terror from the regime, you no longer see public protests, but the resistance takes place in secret. No matter how hard the regime tries, Belarusians have had enough of the tyranny that rules. We want our country to be part of Europe, not part of the Russian world, believes the opposition leader.
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Hate the regime
Tsikhanowskaja says the majority of the citizens of Belarus hate the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko.
– We see how the regime is selling our country to Russia in an attempt to maintain power, Tsikhanowskaja believes.
When Russia escalated the war that started in 2014, and went to a full-scale attack on Ukraine on the night of February 24, 2022, Belarus played a central role. Russian forces used Belarus as a base and starting point for large parts of the invasion army.
– It showed the difference between Russians and Belarusians. According to the last independent poll I have seen, only 3.5 percent of Belarusians supported our army joining the war. Only 4-6 percent support Belarus becoming part of Russia, writes Tsikhanowskaja.
She believes these figures show how important it is to distinguish between Belarus and Russia.
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Support Ukraine
– There is strong support for Ukraine in Belarus, and many volunteers have joined the Ukrainian forces to fight for both the Ukrainians’ and our own freedom, says Tsikhanowskaja.
When asked what the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Lukashenko is like, she says that it is not as rosy as it might appear.
– They depend on each other, and share a hatred for democracy. They are a threat not only to their own people, but also to world peace, and are both guilty of war crimes against Ukraine and crimes against humanity. They must be brought before an international court, is Tsikhanowskaja’s clear opinion.
She believes Lukashenko is far more than a puppet for Putin, and refers to the decisions he has made during the 30 years he has ruled Belarus.
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Haven’t heard from her husband in over a year
Sergej Tikhanovskij is now serving an 18-year sentence, and is deprived of any opportunity to communicate with the outside world.
– I have not heard from my husband since March 2023. Lawyers, letters and phone calls are not allowed. Our children write letters to him, but they never get an answer, says Svjatlana Tsikhanowskaja.
She believes the regime is doing this both to her own husband and other political prisoners to punish the family.
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Claims Lukashenko is afraid
Next year, elections will again be held in Belarus. Just like the presidential election in Russia, no one is wondering who will be declared the winner.
– It is wrong to call the election a farce. It has nothing to do with democracy, believes Svjatlana Tsikhanowskaja.
She says that Lukashenko has further strengthened his own power, and almost given himself unlimited powers.
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– He does not feel safe, and does not have the support of the people. He knows that the protests can flare up again, says the opposition leader.
She believes Belarus’ future is linked to what is happening in Ukraine, as well as the effectiveness of Western sanctions and the power of her own movement.
– That is why we support Ukraine as much as we can. I am sure we will get another opportunity. When that happens, we must be prepared, and so must the rest of the democratic world, concludes Svjatlana Tsikhanowskaja.
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