Image Credit – Dzianis Kuchynski
The winner of the Tipperary International Peace 2022 Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The talks included discussions on the possibility of a programme for children of political prisoners in Belarus to visit Ireland similar to the Chernobyl Children’s project that began in the 1980s. Possibilities for joint cultural projects between Ireland and Belarus were also on the agenda. Ms Tsikhanouskaya also met with the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad and the Dáil and later addressed the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin.
The audience heard that the situation for citizens in Belarus continues to deteriorate due to what Ms Tsikhanouskaya calls the “creeping occupation of the country by Russia”. The Peace prize winner says all voices of dissent are imprisoned in Belarus and it is the responsibility of those living in freedom to work towards their release. The delegation has now departed for Vilnius in Lithuania as Ms Tsikhanouskaya risks a 15 year term in prison if she returns to her native Belarus.
