Support of independent media crucial for nation’s survival – Belarus’ opposition leader

January 11, BPN. Support for the independent media is a matter of survival for the Belarusian people, opposition leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said at the opening of the new RFE/RL Belarus Service office in Vilnius.

Belarusians will never forget the support and solidarity that Lithuania has shown since 2020, she said at the ceremony attended by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Seimas speaker.

“You are not just reliable neighbors, you are true friends who have opened your doors and given shelter to thousands of Belarusians fleeing persecution and war,” Cichanoŭskaja said. “You have drawn a clear line between the criminal [Alaksandr] Łukašenka regime and the Belarusian people who oppose the state terror and also help Ukraine.”

Lithuania has a duty to help other nations on their way to freedom and the new RFE/RL office in Vilnius will support the hopes of Belarusians for a real change, Nausėda said.