WASHINGTON — Exiled Belarusian opposition chief Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has known as on U.S. lawmakers to materially help 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.
In testimony on Capitol Hill on December 5, Tsikhanouskaya additionally requested U.S. lawmakers to induce the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC) to research Lukashenka for the deportation of Ukrainian youngsters to Belarus and again extra army assist 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 assist 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 house that supporting the Belarus opposition is within the U.S. nationwide curiosity.
”Supporting free Belarus isn’t charity. It is your funding into the worldwide peace and safety,” she informed lawmakers, utilizing the identical pitch that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered to Congress almost a 12 months in the past as he sought extra U.S. assist for his nation’s struggle in opposition to 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 “massive worth” 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’d search to expropriate property. Relations 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 assets Russia spends on propaganda and disinformation in Belarus in addition to to assist its members who’ve suffered terribly below Lukashenka.
There are about 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus, most of whom have been jailed following mass demonstrations to protest the end result of the August 2020 election. Lukashenka claimed to defeat Tsikhanouskaya with 80 p.c 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 hundreds 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 help the group of rehabilitation applications so folks don’t really feel that they’ve been deserted” after risking their lives for democracy, she informed the lawmakers.
Consultant Invoice Keating (Democrat-Massachusetts) informed the listening to that Congress had appropriated $30 million for Belarusian civil society and democracy.
Sanctions
Tsikhanouskaya additionally known as on lawmakers to broaden sanctions to incorporate Belarusian wooden and metal and to shut loopholes that enable 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 help 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 youngsters to Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya accused the Lukashenka regime of accepting about 2,000 youngsters 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 12 months issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian commissioner for youngsters’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the deportation of Ukrainian youngsters to Russia.
”Folks need to really feel that dictators should not really feel impunity for his or her crimes,” she informed the lawmakers.
Envoy, Ukraine Help
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 numerous U.S. authorities efforts geared toward supporting the Belarusian democratic motion.
The so-called Strategic Dialogue will happen December 6-7 on the State Division and embody 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 informed Congress she desires 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 want this individual,” she informed lawmakers.
Tsikhanouskaya urged Congress to approve extra army assist for Kyiv, saying the destiny of Ukraine and Belarus are intertwined.
Congress has been unable to move new assist 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 assist to Ukraine will run out by the top 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. We now have to do not forget that and not using a free, unbiased Belarus, there will probably be a continuing risk to the safety of the entire area of Europe. So assist Ukraine to win this struggle.”