{"id":2936,"date":"2023-09-25T12:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T09:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=2936"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"opposition-leader-laments-imminent-closure-of-major-chernobyl-charity","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/2936\/","title":{"rendered":"Opposition leader laments imminent closure of major Chernobyl charity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

September 25,\u00a0Pozirk<\/em>.\u00a0<\/strong>Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja has expressed regret about the Belarusian authorities’ decision to close down the Children of Chernobyl association that helped children from contaminated areas improve their health abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The foundation was “a beacon of hope for decades,” she said<\/a> on X. “It helped me in my youth to find respite in Ireland. This program represents values of compassion and humanity that are starkly absent in the current regime.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cichano\u016dskaja is from the Brest region’s Mika\u0161evi\u010dy, one of many Belarusian towns affected by radioactive contamination after the Chernobyl disaster. As a teenager, she used to travel abroad for recuperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 4, the Minsk City Court is expected to hear the closure suit filed by the justice ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NGO was founded in 1986 and focused on physical and mental health of children, cooperating with research, medical and public organizations in different countries and securing sustainable development of the contaminated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last three years, Belarusian children have been unable to travel to Italy because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a ban on EU-bound flights from Belarus. Prior to that, children from Belarus had been visiting Italy during school vacations for 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, the Italian authorities reportedly received authorization to set up charter flights by Belavia, but the Belarusian side blocked the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closure is seen as part of the government\u2019s crackdown on civil society. Since 2020, Belarusian authorities have shut down at least 1,407 NGOs, according to Lawtrend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

September 25,\u00a0Pozirk.\u00a0Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja has expressed regret about the Belarusian authorities’ decision to close down the Children of Chernobyl association that helped children from contaminated areas improve their health abroad. The foundation was “a beacon of hope for decades,” she said on X. “It helped me in my youth to find respite in Ireland. 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