Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Belarusian Opposition Received IDU’s Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom
The International Democracy Union has awarded Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Belarussian Opposition the prestigious Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom. The award ceremony took place on December 6, 2023, in Washington DC, where Ms. Tsikhanouskaya delivered a keynote speech at the celebratory dinner.
The International Democracy Union, the global alliance of centre-right political parties and organizations committed to advancing democratic principles, has chosen to honour Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and the Belarussian Opposition for their tireless efforts in promoting democracy, human rights, and freedom in the face of adversity.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Belarusian Opposition Receive IDU’s Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom
Youth conferences once again in Ukraine
For the first time since the russian full scale invasion of Ukraine the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation in cooperation with European Solidarity Party of Ukraine held a youth conference: “Rebuilding Democracy: Challenges, Elections and Youth Engagement in Post-War Ukraine”. The two day conference featured international as well as local speakers and discussions in working groups.
Here the youth organisation Solidarna Molod writes more about the conference.
JHS seminar: “Why was Georgia denied EU candidate status?”
Today the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation held the seminar “Why was Georgia denied EU candidate status?” with speakers Ambassador Zurab Tchiaberashvili, Dr. Thornike Gordadze and Dr. Sergi Kapanadze. The seminar was moderated by Anna Maria Corazza Bildt.
The three representatives of the Georgian civil society visiting Stockholm gave their first-hand experience of the situation in Georgia. The main focus was the deepening polarization, deteriorating health condition of former President Saakashvili and the decreased media freedom.
The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation Calendar 2023
The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation publishes a 2023 calendar with pictures from the Swedish election campaign 2022. Representatives from our sister parties visited during august and september to learn more about the elections and to be part of the campaign activities all over the country.
Feel free to download it here:
https://www.hjalmarsonstiftelsen.se/wp-content/uploads/JHS-Calendar-2023.pdf
Why sanctions on Russia are working
The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation publishes a report on sanctions towards Russia. The report is written by the Russian opposition politician Vladimir Milov.
In the report, Why sanctions on Russia are working, Mr. Milov states that patience is needed in order for western sanctions to have the best possible impact. The Russian economy is slowly but surely collapsing, and even though Putin’s temporary trade with countries such as Turkey, China, India and in Central Asian are helping Russia to circumvent the western sanctions at the moment, it will not be able to save the economy in the long run.
To read the report, please use the following link:
https://www.hjalmarsonstiftelsen.se/wp-content/uploads/Milov-Sanctions-on-Russia-are-working..pdf
Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza awarded with the 2022 Václav Havel Prize
The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize is awarded each year by PACE, in partnership with the Václav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation, “to honour outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights in Europe and beyond”.
The 60,000-euro prize was presented at a special ceremony on the opening day of the autumn plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.
Vladimir Kara-Murza who has been a consistent critic of the Russian government, and co-founder of the Russian Anti-War Committee established to oppose Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was awarded with the prize.
Presenting the award, PACE President Tiny Kox, who chaired the selection panel, said: “Despite the risks, Vladimir Kara-Murza had the courage to return to his country to continue his fight, even while having the possibility to stay safe. It takes incredible courage in today’s Russia to stand against the power in place. Today, Mr Kara-Murza is showing this courage, from his prison cell.”