WASHINGTON — Exiled Belarusian opposition chief Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has known as on U.S. lawmakers to materially assist the Belarusian democracy motion overseas and tighten sanctions on authoritarian chief Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a push for a transparent U.S. technique for her nation.
The Disaster In Belarus
Learn our protection as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and unbiased media following the August 2020 presidential election.
In testimony on Capitol Hill on December 5, Tsikhanouskaya additionally requested U.S. lawmakers to induce the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC) to research Lukashenka for the deportation of Ukrainian kids to Belarus and again extra army support to Kyiv, saying her nation’s freedom hinges on Ukraine defeating Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya’s go to to Washington comes as Congress is embroiled in debate over a invoice that may ship billions of {dollars} in army support to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, elevating questions how a lot bandwidth lawmakers and the White Home have for Belarus proper now. She sought to hammer residence that supporting the Belarus opposition is within the U.S. nationwide curiosity.
”Supporting free Belarus just isn’t charity. It is your funding into the worldwide peace and safety,” she instructed lawmakers, utilizing the identical pitch that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered to Congress practically a yr in the past as he sought extra U.S. support for his nation’s battle towards Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya requested lawmakers to ”present materials help” to the Belarusian opposition, their relations, and media. She stated members of the Belarusian opposition dwelling overseas, together with herself, are paying a “large value” for his or her dogged pursuit of democracy and “we will’t do it alone.”
Belarusian authorities final week raided about 200 properties belonging to members of the federal government in exile and their household. The authorities stated they might search to expropriate property. Kin of a number of members of the federal government in exile, together with Tsikhanouskaya’s husband, are in jail.
She stated the opposition wants cash to counter the huge sources Russia spends on propaganda and disinformation in Belarus in addition to to assist its members who’ve suffered terribly underneath Lukashenka.
There are about 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus, in response to the U.S. State Division, most of whom have been jailed following mass demonstrations to protest the declared end result of the August 2020 election. Lukashenka claimed to defeat Tsikhanouskaya with 80 % in a vote the opposition known as rigged. Tsikhanouskaya and different main members of the opposition fled Belarus to keep away from persecution together with 1000’s of different residents.
Belarus treats political prisoners harshly, and people exiting now are in ”terrible bodily and emotional state,” Tsikhanouskaya stated.
”These folks want rehabilitation and we have to assist the group of rehabilitation applications so folks don’t really feel that they’ve been deserted” after risking their lives for democracy, she instructed the lawmakers.
Consultant Invoice Keating (Democrat-Massachusetts) instructed the listening to that Congress had appropriated $30 million for Belarusian civil society and democracy.
Sanctions
Tsikhanouskaya additionally known as on lawmakers to develop sanctions to incorporate Belarusian wooden and metal and to shut loopholes that permit Lukashenka to bypass present sanctions.
As Tsikhanouskaya testified, the U.S. Treasury Division introduced a raft of sanctions concentrating on a number of entities and people that it stated generate income for Lukashenka and assist Russia’s struggle in Ukraine. The sanctions additionally goal the top of the Belarus Pink Cross, accusing him of being complicit within the deportation of Ukrainian kids to Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya accused the Lukashenka regime of accepting about 2,000 kids from Russian-occupied Ukraine. She stated the opposition has despatched ”tons of proof” to the ICC and, lamenting that no motion had been taken but, she requested Congress to push the ICC to open an investigation.
The ICC earlier this yr issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian commissioner for kids’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the deportation of Ukrainian kids to Russia.
”Individuals should really feel that dictators should not really feel impunity for his or her crimes,” she instructed the lawmakers.
Envoy, Ukraine Support
Tsikhanouskaya is visiting Washington with different members of the Belarusian exiled authorities to participate in a brand new initiative organized by the State Division that seeks to coordinate varied U.S. authorities efforts aimed toward supporting the Belarusian democratic motion.
The so-called Strategic Dialogue will happen December 6-7 on the State Division and embrace members of Belarusian civil society and human rights defenders.
She stated she hopes the dialogue will result in a transparent U.S. technique for Belarus, together with its place in a post-Ukraine struggle safety structure.
Tsikhanouskaya additionally instructed Congress she needs the White Home to nominate a particular envoy for Belarus to assist be a “bridge” between the opposition and the U.S. authorities and to assist coordinate a whole-of-government technique towards Belarus.
“We have to clearly perceive what would be the future steps of the U.S. [government] and that is why we’d like this particular person,” she instructed lawmakers.
Tsikhanouskaya urged Congress to approve extra army support for Kyiv, saying the destiny of Ukraine and Belarus are intertwined.
Congress has been unable to go new support for Ukraine for months as Republicans tie the cargo of weapons to Kyiv with border safety and U.S. immigration reform. The White Home on December 4 warned that present support to Ukraine will run out by the tip of the month if a brand new invoice is not handed.
“With out a free Ukraine, there will probably be no free Belarus but additionally vice versa. Now we have to keep in mind that with no free, unbiased Belarus, there will probably be a relentless menace to the safety of the entire area of Europe. So assist Ukraine to win this struggle.”