In a formal sitting, the two prominent opposition leaders from Belarus address plenary.

Sergey Tihanovski was pardoned and released from jail, along with 13 other political prisoners in June. He ran as presidential candidate in 2020 but was arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison for “organising riots” and “inciting hatred” and then to 18 months extra for “insubordination”. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya entered the presidential race in her husband’s place and ran against Alexander Lukashenko, who was declared winner of the fraudulent 2020 elections. In a text adopted in October 2020, the European Parliament noted that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was president-elect in the eyes of the Belarusian people and that her Coordination Council was the legitimate representative of the people of Belarus.

MEPs and Council and Commission representatives discuss the situation in Belarus five years after the fraudulent presidential elections

After the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus, the Lukashenko regime launched a brutal and systematic crackdown on peaceful protests against the fraudulent election result. Since then, the Belarusian authorities have pursued a campaign to shut down civil society, silence independent media and eliminate all forms of political opposition. Thousands have been unjustly detained, subjected to torture and ill-treatment, or forced into exile. In January 2025, Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, won a seventh consecutive presidential term. Opposition leaders and activists did not react to the vote, as most had been jailed or gone into exile, and no dissent is tolerated inside the country.

Formal sitting with Sergey Tihanovski and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Strasbourg's Plenary session through the lens - Week 43

EP Plenary session - Formal Sitting with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus

Ewa KOPACZ meets with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus

Address by Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020, to the European Parliament. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Formal Sitting with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus: address by Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020

Roberta METSOLA, EP President opens the formal sitting with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Formal Sitting with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus: opening statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

This News item shows the arrival of Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus, to the EP, their meeting with Roberta METSOLA, EP President and extracts from the address. In a formal sitting, the two prominent opposition leaders from Belarus address plenary. Sergey Tihanovski was pardoned and released from jail, along with 13 other political prisoners in June. He ran as presidential candidate in 2020 but was arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison for “organising riots” and “inciting hatred” and then to 18 months extra for “insubordination”. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya entered the presidential race in her husband’s place and ran against Alexander Lukashenko, who was declared winner of the fraudulent 2020 elections.

Formal Sitting with Sergey TIHANOVSKI, Sakharov Prize laureate 2020 and Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, leader of democratic forces of Belarus: extracts from the meeting with Roberta METSOLA, EP President and from the address to the plenary

TIHANOVSKI, Sergey (BY)

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