The former presidential candidate urged Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) in Vienna on Wednesday not to give in here. “Sanctions are not the silver bullet,” but economic pressure could persuade Lukashenko to change his stance on Belarus’ roughly 1,200 political prisoners and the crackdown on opposition figures. Sanctions have the potential to deprive the regime of resources, for example to pay bribes. The sanctions are just beginning to take effect, according to Tichanovskaya, who recently received the renowned Charlemagne Prize for her commitment.
“Sanctions can only be lifted when all political prisoners are released,” demanded Tichanovskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania. Other prerequisites are the cessation of repression and a dialogue on new elections in Belarus. “I want to believe that these agreements will not be broken by our Western partners and that sanctions for attempted blackmail will not be lifted.”
Tichanovskaya also spoke to Schallenberg about the crackdown on Austrian companies like A1 and Raiffeisenbank, for example through the arrest of an A1 spokesperson and the head of the Belarusian subsidiary of RBI Priorbank. “I think this is the regime’s revenge for Austria’s strong position,” said Tichanovskaya, who also asked Schallenberg about the situation of Belarusians in Austria. Unlike Ukrainians, many people would not have the opportunity to “legalize” themselves in Austria.
Tichanovskaya attended a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. She was “very honored” to report to OSCE ambassadors for the first time about the crisis in her home country. The Belarusian regime tried to stop them from doing so.
There is no free Belarus without free Ukraine, Tichanovskaya pointed out. If Ukraine wins the war against Russia, it will be another opportunity for the Belarusian people to rise up. “Our fight did not stop for a day,” the opposition party said. Even though mass public demonstrations are currently not possible, the struggle remains clandestine. Critics of the regime are bracing, “because Lukashenko will be even weaker when the Kremlin is weakened after the war,” Tichanovskaya said. Then an attempt is made to capture this moment, “and I think it will be the last attempt” to overthrow the regime in Belarus.
The Belarusian people support Ukraine. Both neighboring countries were part of the Soviet Union. “The Kremlin does not recognize the Belarusian and Ukrainian people as they are,” Tichanovskaya said. “The independence of Ukraine and Belarus is in danger, so we must support each other.” Although open rallies are not possible, thousands of people took to the streets in Minsk after the start of the war. They did this despite knowing they would be arrested and tortured in prison. “But it was very important for us to show the Ukrainians that the regime is a collaborator of the Kremlin, but the Belarusian people are against this war.” 86% of Belarusians oppose the Russian war of aggression.
Tikhanovskaya lamented that Belarus was involved in the war. “Lukashenko is paying the debt for support in 2020,” she said, referring to the mass protests against the obviously rigged 2020 presidential election, which was violently suppressed. However, the fact that Belarusian soldiers did not join Russian troops is not due to Lukashenko. “It’s the soldiers who don’t understand why they should fight their Ukrainian brothers, sisters and neighbors. That’s why our army didn’t follow that order.” Tichanovskaya emphasized that she believed in Belarusian soldiers and that they would not be prepared to invade Ukraine in the future either.
She recounted how Belarusian activists are helping Ukrainians, for example, sabotaging the railway network, stealing Russian tents, equipment and food, and sharing information such as images of rockets launched in Belarus. In addition, Belarusian volunteers fight alongside the Ukrainian army and help Ukrainian refugees. A victory for Ukraine would not just be a victory for Ukraine, but a victory for the entire democratic world, Tikhanovskaya said. That is why it is so important to support the country militarily, humanitarianly and financially. Western unity is a “key factor” here. “We see how the Russian and Belarusian sides are trying to divide the voices.” But most politicians would understand that not only the fate of Ukraine and Belarus is at stake, but the fate of Europe and democracy.
(The interview was conducted by Alexandra Demcisin/APA).