Siarhei Tsikhanouski accused the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya of failing to inform him about the presentation of the Magnitsky Award. He described the situation on his social media accounts.
Tsikhanouski claimed that he learned about the award from social media and was therefore unable to obtain a British visa in time.
“I deeply regret that I cannot personally attend the award ceremony in London. I found out about it only the day before, from the social network X, and could not obtain a British visa in Vilnius in time.
The organizers of the award were convinced that I was informed and would be present. They did not contact me directly, mistakenly believing that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office would notify me. This is understandable — no reasonable person would imagine that such information would not be passed on to me. However, I must regretfully note that the atmosphere in the Office can hardly be called reasonable,” Tsikhanouski wrote.
He also stated that a similar situation occurred with the Sakharov Prize, as he was unable to obtain the original diploma from the Office and received only a copy — “thanks solely to the personal involvement of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.”
Tsikhanouski emphasized that he has no connection to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office and asked that all communication with him be made directly.
“I am writing this post because I no longer want to find myself in such situations. I would like to inform journalists, activists, and international partners that I have no relation to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office. Please contact me directly if you wish to invite me, interview me, or offer cooperation,” Tsikhanouski wrote.
Tsikhanouskaya’s Office commented on the situation, noting that information about the award to Sviatlana and Siarhei Tsikhanouski was published on the award’s social media pages on November 3. The Office also stated that Siarhei had been advised in advance to obtain a visa and had been helped to book an appointment, but he never completed the fingerprinting procedure.
“We had preliminary information that this could happen, so we advised him to apply for a visa in advance and helped him schedule an appointment two months ago. He filled out the documents and paid for the visa, but unfortunately, he did not appear for the biometric submission despite our reminders. We understand that Siarhei has a busy schedule, but we have no means to speed up the process of obtaining a UK visa,” the Office said.
BREAKING: @Tsihanouskaya & @tsikhanouski_s are the winners of the 2025 Magnitsky Award for “Outstanding Opposition Politician,” honouring their leadership and unwavering dedication to democracy in Belarus. Their courage continues to move the world. #MagnitskyAwards pic.twitter.com/xC72XUeKsx
— Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign (@GMJCampaign) November 3, 2025