Svetlana Tichanovskaya is Belarus’ leading member of the opposition and, according to the will of the regime in Minsk, is supposed to disappear into prison. Instead, the 40-year-old publicizes the conditions in her home country. A conversation in Berlin.
Svetlana Tichanowskaja comes with several bodyguards, without it is essential: the 40-year-old is the best-known opposition figure in Belarus; recently she was sentenced in absentia by a Minsk court to 15 years in prison. The accusation: high treason and “conspiracy to seize power”.
She is in Berlin to shed light on her country, which is ruled by a long-term dictator, and to ensure that the abuses since the mass protests of 2020 are not forgotten. She sits in an armchair in Berlin’s Hotel Adlon, in front of her a folder with documents and a picture of her husband, who is in custody. The talks are scheduled every minute, in the evening she will give a speech on the subject of freedom near the Brandenburg Gate.
Tichanovskaya ran in the 2020 presidential election in place of her imprisoned husband, Sergey Tichanovsky, against dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an interview with t-online, she reports on the prison conditions in Belarus, explains why Belarus is also important for people in Germany and how Vladimir Putin is infiltrating her home country.
t-online: Ms. Tichanovskaya, how is your husband?
Swetlana Tichanowskaja: My husband has been in prison for almost three years now and is being held in a solitary cell. His attorney’s license was revoked three weeks ago, and I haven’t received any information since then. I don’t know how he is, we don’t know what’s going on. This is the case for many inmates. Some have been denied access to their lawyer for months.
What do you know about prison conditions?
Political prisoners in Belarus are treated much worse than other prisoners. They have to wear yellow patches, which shows everyone that they are not allowed to communicate with others. They are regularly put in a punishment cell, which is a terrible place. They are tortured and humiliated again and again. You are not allowed to receive relatives. With this isolation, the regime wants to ensure that the people in prison are forgotten. But I hope they know we’re fighting for them. Also abroad.
Swetlana Tichanowskaja
Tichanowskaja, 40, is an English and German teacher, worked as a translator and was a housewife. She says today: “My life back then was ordinary.” In 2020 she ran against long-term dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential elections. Her husband actually wanted to stand for election, but was excluded from the regime and imprisoned. After Lukashenko was re-elected, Tichanovskaya accused the government of election fraud and claimed victory for herself. The West also failed to recognize Lukashenko’s alleged election victory. It was the largest mass protest in the country’s history. Tikhanovskaya fled into exile, but as leader of the United Transitional Cabinet still claims to win the elections. She lives in Lithuania with her children. Her husband is still in custody.
A few weeks ago, you were sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. Do you have any chance of returning to your home country?
Definitely one day. That’s what we fight for. This judgment has nothing to do with law or justice. It’s revenge. I tried to contact my so-called lawyer that the regime had assigned me. He never responded. I have absolutely no idea how he defended me in court. But the verdict cannot stop my fight. We are now standing up for those who are still in the country and who face even harsher sentences or who are already in prison.
You ran against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, then left Belarus and now live in Lithuania, where you opened an office as a leading opposition figure. What else can you do for your country?
It’s really difficult to work in the country itself at the moment, the repression is extreme. There, nine million people are being held hostage by the regime. We are now trying to institutionalize our work in exile, for this we are working with the UN, the International Criminal Court, the EU, the governments of different countries.
Because we see: Belarus is falling into oblivion – because of the war in Ukraine, which the people of Belarus clearly reject. Our job is to explain why Belarus matters. Because a democratic Belarus is not only in our interest. It is enormously important for the stability of the entire region and for Europe. The fates of Ukraine and Belarus are intertwined. There is no safe Ukraine without a free Belarus and no free Belarus without a safe Ukraine.
