Durbin, Shaheen, Wicker Meet With Belarusian Opposition Leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) yesterday met with Belarusian opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, to discuss efforts to bring democracy to her country. In 2020, Tsikhanouskaya likely won the disputed election against Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko after filling in for her jailed husband Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was competing in the election only to be abruptly arrested by Lukashenko’s regime and sentenced to 18 years on sham charges. Exiled from Belarus because of her activism, Tsikhanouskaya is continuing the effort for Belarusian democracy from Lithuania.
During their meeting, the Senators and Tsikhanouskaya spoke about Lukashenko’s support for Vladimir Putin in Russia’s war in Ukraine by serving as a conduit for Russia’s military and to avoid European Union sanctions. Lukashenko reportedly also agreed to house Russian tactical nuclear weapons within Belarus’ borders.
“The Belarusian people have had enough of Lukashenko’s oppression and subservience to Putin as he ruthlessly attacks Ukraine,” said Durbin. “As I reiterated in our meeting, I fully support the aspirations of Belarusians to live in a democratic, sovereign, independent country—and I also thank the Lithuanian people for trying to help their Belarusian neighbors in this effort. I stand in solidarity with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Belarusian people as they push back against Lukashenko, Europe’s last dictator, in hopes of a free Belarus.”
“Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of Belarus’ democratic movement, is right when she says that Belarus is on the front lines of democracy,” said Shaheen. “The futures of Belarus and Ukraine are deeply intertwined and as we stand with them, we must redouble our efforts to support civil society and independent media in the region as they face relentless intimidation for standing up against corruption. As Senators Durbin, Wicker, and I reaffirmed, the United States stands with the Belarusian people in their pursuit of a free and democratic Belarus.”
“Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is a powerful leader in the face of tyranny. Lukashenko, a puppet of Putin, is an enemy of a free Belarus and democracy in the region. The current regime does not represent the will of the Belarusian people, who have every right to live in a democracy. The United States stands with Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian people, and Lukashenko’s political prisoners as they continue to fight for freedom in their country,” said Wicker.
Photos of the meeting are available here.
Last Congress, Durbin and Shaheen introduced the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act at the urging of Tsikhanouskaya. The legislation condemns the Lukashenko regime’s support forRussia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and recognizes Tsikhanouskaya as the rightful democratic leader of Belarus while also calling for a return to free and fair elections and for oberserver status for the Belarus democracy movement at international institutions. The bill also includes provisions to support a free and independent media environment in Belarus and accountability for Lukashenko’s role in the Russian war in Ukraine.
Durbin has repeatedly called for the release of Sergei Tikhanovsky among other political prisoners who have been jailed for speaking out against Lukashenko’s regime or Putin’s unjustified war in Ukraine.
Tsikhanouskaya is head of the United Transition Cabinet of Belarus who independent observers agree won the August 2020 presidential election against Lukashenko. As the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, she has visited 28 countries, gathering support and advocating for the release of more than 1,500 political prisoners and a peaceful transition of power through free and fair elections.
She is a recipient of the Sakharov Prize awarded by the European Parliament, 2022 International Four Freedoms Award, and Charlemagne Prize. In 2021 and 2022, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Members of the Norwegian Parliament.
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