June 27, Pozirk. Siarhiej Cichanoŭski addressed a rally of Belarusians in Warsaw on June 26, days after his release from a Belarusian prison, pledging to continue his fight for democracy in Belarus.
The dissident arrived in Poland yesterday with his wife, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja, to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda and Foreign Minister Rodosław Sikorski. He announced interviews and plans to tour Poland, Germany, the United States and Canada to meet with exiled Belarusians.
“I am going to break down this [Alaksandar Łukašenka’s] regime, just like that prison regime. I will do it no matter whether you help me or not,” he said addressing hundreds of supporters.
Cichanoŭski expressed gratitude to Belarusians who advocated for his release, but noted less optimism and faith among activists compared to 2020. He pledged to do everything to help exiled activists return home and hold honest and democratic elections.
Cichanoŭski added that he will lobby for the release of all Belarusians held behind bars on politically-motivated charges. Minsk may free them in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions, he noted.
“I have already told President Duda, Sikorski what needs to be done. I will tell this to every prime minister and president in the European Union, the United States, Canada and other countries: prepare a new, powerful package of sanctions against dictator Łukašenka. Don’t impose them, bring them to him, put them on the table and say: if these political prisoners don’t come out, we will impose these sanctions,” he said.
Cichanoŭski and 13 other prisoners were pardoned on June 21, with some immediately taken to Lithuania. The release followed a meeting in Minsk between Łukašenka and Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine.
Police arrested presidential hopeful Cichanoŭski two months before the 2020 election, as his sharp-edged campaign was gaining momentum and threatening to sweep Łukašenka from power. Later, he was given a lengthy prison term. He had been held incommunicado from March 2023 and until his release.
