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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been awarded the international King Eric of Pomerania Prize. The award was presented to her today in Darłowo, Poland.
“The award was granted for her efforts to promote democratic transformation in Belarus and strengthen the country’s ties with the European community,” the organisers said.
The prize was established in Darłowo in honour of Eric of Pomerania, the king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway who was born in the town and became the first monarch to rule all three countries under the Kalmar Union.
Speaking after receiving the award, Tsikhanouskaya stressed that Belarusians, Ukrainians and Poles are fighting for the same values.
“Yesterday, in a Żabka store on Morska Street, I overheard an interesting conversation. The shop assistant and an elderly gentleman were discussing this very award. The shop assistant said: ‘The award is being presented again, but not to our people.’ ‘Well,’ the gentleman politely replied, ‘Belarusians are our people too. Today they are fighting for freedom, just as we did back then.’
And he was absolutely right. Belarusians, Ukrainians and Poles. We are all part of the same struggle. We are fighting for the same values and confronting the same evil,” she said.
“Although my name is written on this diploma, I would like to dedicate this award to the thousands of Belarusians who continue to fight for freedom despite fear, repression and exile. Some are fighting underground, some are helping by providing information. Some support political prisoners and their families. Some are fighting for Ukraine. Some promote the Belarusian language and culture, and today that is also a form of resistance,” Tsikhanouskaya added.
She said that she had never aspired to become a politician, but sometimes life does not ask whether people are ready.
“It simply confronts us with a choice: to accept injustice or to stand against it. I simply did what I believed was right for my family and my country. As Andrzej Poczobut said, we are simply trying to behave with dignity in undignified times,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya noted that Poland understands the Belarusian struggle better than anyone. Poles know what it means to live under tyranny and to continue fighting when hope is almost gone. She recalled the shared history and culture of Poles and Belarusians.
“We fought together in uprisings against the Russian Empire, and there have never been conflicts in our history that could divide our peoples. And in 2020, Poland opened its doors and its heart to thousands of Belarusians fleeing repression, as well as to independent media, human rights defenders, cultural figures and businesses.
But we also view Poland as an example, a model for Belarus. We want Belarus to be like Poland — strong, democratic and prosperous. One day we will rebuild our country and return to the European family of nations, to which we historically belong,” she said.
She called on Poland to maintain this support.
“I ask you to remain faithful to these principles and to continue supporting Ukraine and Belarus. We must not allow ourselves to be blackmailed by dictators. Dictators cannot be appeased, and they cannot be re-educated. They can only be fought. Therefore, I ask you to continue putting pressure on the regime. Maintain strong sanctions until we see real change. Until all political prisoners are released, repression ends, and Belarus ceases to be part of Russia’s war,” she said.
Tsikhanouskaya also repeated her call to distinguish between the Belarusian regime and the Belarusian people.