Belarus opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya calls for unity and global support

euronews (in English)

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the biggest challenger of President Alexander Lukashenko, talked to Euronews about her fight for a free Belarus from exile.

Transcript

00:00Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed her as a housewife.

00:05But when the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya entered the race for presidency in 2020,

00:12she became his greatest challenge.

00:14Now that she is in exile, she continues her fight for a free, democratic Belarus.

00:19We met her in Berlin.

00:21So you would say the Belarusian opposition is united, you work,

00:24so you don't have any obstacles within your organization, so to say.

00:29Belarusian democratic forces and people are united as never before,

00:33because we have our common aim,

00:35is release of our beloved, our friends from prisons,

00:39release of our political prisoners, but also having free and fair elections.

00:44Political prisoners exchanged with Russia.

00:46Not one Belarusian political prisoner came out.

00:50Since then, have there been any progress in your negotiations

00:55with politicians from the European Union?

00:58We all want them to be released,

01:01but we don't want our political prisoners,

01:05our heroes to be bugging in chips in this Lukashenko's game.

01:12They are taking more and more and more hostages,

01:15you know, to sell them more expensive.

01:18But we are asking our democratic partners

01:20that don't, you know, trade, don't make any deals with Lukashenko,

01:25don't trade, because he...

01:27OK, he can, like, sell one, two, three hundred people

01:31and he will detain twice more.

01:34As it was recently, Lukashenko released 115 people.

01:38For the same period of time, he detained 140.

01:42Can I ask you a personal question?

01:44What is it that you miss the most about Belarus?

01:50Look, I miss everything.

01:52I miss my apartment that had been confiscated,

01:56but I... this was our nest, nest of our family.

02:01I miss my husband, of course.

02:04But, you know, I... I want to see free Belarus.

02:08Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

02:11wants to run again at the presidential elections in February 2025.

02:16But the Belarusian opposition is stronger than ever,

02:19says the Belarusian oppositionist Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya.

02:23She wants to strengthen relations with Germany

02:25and fights more than ever for a free Belarus.

02:28Diana Reznik, from Berlin, for Euronews.

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