Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is a political activist and leader of the Belarusian democratic movement, who will give a public lecture titled “Belarus after 2020: Dictatorship vs. European Future” on Monday, 18 November, at 15:00. The guest lecture will take place in the White Hall of the University of Tartu Museum. 

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will discuss the current situation in Belarus, political repression after the 2020 elections, Lukashenka’s role in Putin’s war against Ukraine, European perspectives for Belarus, and why the West should support the Belarusian democratic movement. 

The lecture will be opened by Shpend Kursani, Lecturer in International Relations at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, and the following discussion will be moderated by Andrey Makarychev, Professor of Regional Political Studies at the same institute. 

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya ran in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election after her husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was arrested for voicing his presidential aspirations. As the leader of the democratic movement, Tsikhanouskaya advocates for the release of political prisoners and a peaceful transition of power through free and fair elections. After the election, she was forced to leave Belarus. In meetings with world leaders, Tsikhanouskaya has emphasised the need for a braver response to the actions of the Belarusian dictatorship. For example, when Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine began, Tsikhanouskaya announced the anti-war movement to prevent Belarus’ involvement in the war and to stop Russian troops from entering Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Additionally, Tsikhanouskaya has led numerous peaceful protests in Belarus. 

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has become a symbol of peaceful struggle for democracy and strong female leadership. She is a recipient of the Sakharov Prize awarded by the European Parliament. She has been awarded the 2022 International Four Freedoms Award, the Charlemagne Prize, and the Fritz Csoklich Democracy Award.