February 9 proclaimed as Solidarity Day with Belarus

In a statement released today, the leader of democratic Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called to dedicate February 9 to a Day of Solidarity with Belarus.

The days marks one and a half years since the authoritarian leadership of Belarus falsified the elections, subsequently forcing the leaders of the democratic opposition, including Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, to flee the country.

During these 18 months, the repression and crackdown against the civil society, democratic movement and journalists have increased. With over 1.000 political prisoners kept in jail by order of dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko, the authoritarianism and use of force have reached unprecedented levels.

The Day of Solidarity with Belarus will mainly focus to bring attention and support for “free media, journalists, bloggers and all those who tell the truth about the situation in the country”, according to a statement from the office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation once again reiterates the long time support from the Foundation for the democratic movement in the country.