"The Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation could not be prouder to welcome one of the most inspiring global voices for democracy." With these words, Peer Steinbrück, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation (BKHS), welcomed the speaker of the first Helmut Schmidt Lecture on 10 November in Berlin: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The Belarusian opposition leader is not only a symbolic figure of peaceful protest for democracy, she is also - as became clear in her speech - its most urgent voice: "What is often taken for granted in Germany and Europe, thousands of Belarusians have to fight for day after day: freedom. This is not just about Belarus. It is about the future of democracy in Europe. We need a radical rethink and more courage for democracy."
In her speech, she emphasised that Europe must once again become a magnet for other countries and free itself from fatalism and the belief in its own powerlessness.
In the subsequent round of talks, she also commented on the current events on the border with Poland. "The terrible refugee crisis is being deliberately orchestrated by the Belarusian ruler," emphasised Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Wednesday evening in Berlin. "Lukashenko wants to take revenge on the EU - especially Poland and Lithuania - for supporting the democratic movement in Belarus. He wants a trade-off: an end to the migration crisis for an end to the sanctions. But we should not be blinded by the refugee crisis," Tsikhanouskaya warned. "The problem is the illegitimate power in Belarus. The regime that has taken millions of people hostage and has become a threat to regional and global peace and security. Since the presidential elections on 9 August 2020, more than 37,000 people have been arrested. Thousands have been humiliated, tortured and traumatised. There are currently 834 political prisoners and the number continues to rise," said the opposition leader.
For Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the topic of the Helmut Schmidt Lecture "Living Democracy!" has been her life's work since August 2020. She has been living in exile in Lithuania since the arrest of her husband, who was running for president last year. In order to gain further support for a free and democratic Belarus, she also held individual talks with representatives of the German government in Berlin. The BKHS organised a high-profile political programme for the opposition leader, first and foremost a meeting with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who received the politician at Bellevue Palace. She also met Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz as well as members of the Bundestag and representatives of think tanks and non-governmental organisations. In the evening, she was a guest on the ARD television programme "Maischberger - Die Woche".
Speeches
- Welcome speech by Peer Steinbrück (PDF) or welcome speech as online continuous text
- Speech Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (PDF) or speech as online continuous text
