site.btaBelarusian Opposition Leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Visits Bulgaria to Raise Awareness of Human Rights Violations in Her Country

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Bulgaria Tuesday and met with Parliament leader Rosen Zhelyazkov, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel on Tuesday, to raise awareness of the human rights violations in her country and urge Bulgaria to support Belarusian people's struggle for freedom and democracy.

"I asked politicians in Bulgaria to give more attention to Belarus and support it in its struggle for freedom. I ask you to be our voice on the international arena and join our struggle for freedom," she said in a speech in the Journalism and Mass Communications Department of Sofia University.

She also said that freedom is easy to lose and hard to regain. "It is symbolic and tragic that several generations in Belarus haven't had a chance to live in freedom and democracy," she said.

She pointed out that her husband, a popular vlogger, has been detained by the Minsk regime to prevent him from running for president, and that she was forced to flee her home country with threats that she would never be allowed to see her children again.

She also said that the Lukashenko regime would not have survived without Russia's help, is unstable and does not have popular support. She believes that a chance in Belarus could bring about a change in Russia too.

Meeting with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, Tsikhanouskaya said that Russia is trying to destroy the identity of Belarusian people. "We in Belarus have shown that we are on Ukrainians' side because we understand that they are not fighting for their own country only. The fate of the two peoples is interconnected," said she.

She is adamant that there can be no peace and security in Belarus under the present conditions. She urged Bulgarian people to support Ukrainians in their struggle against Russia.

She also said: "Ukraine is fighting against the Russian missiles and we in Belarus are fighting the subjugation and russification of our state institutions, the economy and news media. It is important to make a distinction between the Minsk regime and the people of Belarus because Belarusian people support Ukrainians."

Tsihanouvskaya stressed that Bulgaria's experience in the EU accession process and its positions in the EU would be highly useful for Belarus, and expressed appreciation for Bulgaria's support for EU initiatives aimed at supporting Belarusian civil society.

Prime Minister Denkov said at a news conference held jointly with Tsihanouvskaya that Belarus "is a clear and sad example of how a developed European country, with very good education, science, technology and a developed economy, can have its democratic rules broken, to put it simply". "The result of this is the establishment of a dictatorship that does not allow the development of any opposition or democratic movement in the country," he added.

"The choice is, if you have a different opinion from the government, either to go to jail or leave the country. This is an example that we should all have before our eyes, because there is no country that is insured against such a development. The only insurance is that democratic rules are respected. No people should have unlimited power. When there are presidential terms, they should be limited in number. History has shown that the temptation to go for a dictatorial regime, thinking that you are best suited to run a country, is very great," the Prime Minister said.

Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said that Bulgaria condemns Minsk as Russia's accomplice in the illegal aggression in Ukraine. She assured the Belarusian opposition leader that Bulgaria will continue to act in keeping with the common EU policies. "We also agreed that the pressure on the autocratic regime in Minsk through the EU sanctions must continue," said Gabriel.

She went on to call for vigilance about possible attempts to bypass the sanctions. "We stand behind the European support for the Belarusian people and their aspiration to build a democratic state based on rule of law and respect for human rights," Gabriel said. She said that Bulgaria clearly and consistently supports the efforts that reflect the wishes of the majority of the Belarusian citizens. Bulgaria will continue to participate in all EU and UN initiatives aimed at supporting Belarusian civil society, Gabriel said.

On the issue of political prisoners, Mariya Gabriel said that she would rely on the support of women foreign ministers, "who often have initiatives and who give much more visibility" and speak with one voice for noble causes, including talking more about women political prisoners in Belarus.

Parliament Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov assured Tsikhanouskaya that Bulgaria supports the efforts of the opposition in Belarus to establish a democratic socio-political order in the country. Belarus is part of Europe and the Belarusian people aspire to share the democratic values and achievements of all European countries, Zhelyazkov added.

He said the Bulgarian National Assembly is ready to share its experience gained in the years after the democratic changes in Bulgaria and to facilitate the exchange of successful parliamentary practices. He hailed the desire for establishing democracy and respect for the basic democratic principles in Belarus: the rule of law, free and fair elections, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, pluralism and freedom of speech.

Tsikhanouskaya had a meeting with the parliamentary committee on EU affairs. There MP Kiril Petkov (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria) said that Belarus must be part of the European family and the Belarusian opposition leader urged the committees in the Bulgarian Parliament to hold hearings on the human rights violations and the situation of political prisoners in her country.

Tsikhanouskaya also met with GERB leader Boyko Borissov at his party's headquarters here. The start of the meeting was broadcast live on Boyko Borissov's Facebook account. Borissov announced that GERB - UDF will propose to the parties of the Euro-Atlantic majority in the Bulgarian Parliament to create a Friendship Group with Belarus.

Borissov said that Bulgaria "categorically supports all legitimate aspirations of the Belarusian people to build a democratic state based on the rule of law and fundamental human rights, to elect their representatives through genuine, democratic and transparent elections". "We have done everything that depends on us, and I think that we are one of the countries that have helped Ukraine the most in real terms - with arms, with combat equipment, with money," Borissov said.