Belarus: Tsikhanouski says his release gives people hope – DW – 06/26/2025

DW

26-06-2025

In his first big interview after his release, Belarussian opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski tells DW about the conditions in prison, his wife's transformation and hope for the people of Belarus.
One of the most well-known Belarusian political prisoners, blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was released on June 21 following a visit to Belarus by Keith Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy for Ukraine.
Tsikhanouski gave his first big interview since being freed to DW's Alexandra Boguslawskaja, who had also interviewed him five years ago in Belarus, shortly before his arrest.
Tsikhanouski was detained in May 2020, after being denied registration as a presidential candidate challenging Alexander Lukashenko and later convicted to 18 years in prison. His wife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya assumed the candidacy and ran for presidency in his stead. She was forced to flee Belarus after Lukashenko claimed victory in an election which observers label as rigged. Tsikhaniuskaya has been living in Vilnius ever since and became the leader of Belarussion democratic opposition in exile.Siarhei Tsikhanouski: I couldn't believe it. I spent five years in a solitary confinement cell, sometimes it was three square meters, sometimes six, and sometimes even 18. And then, when you finally see open space around you, you're overwhelmed by emotions. The doors of the bus opened and I saw Svetlana. I couldn't believe it and had tears in my eyes. I hugged her and said, "Let's go somewhere.' We found a quiet spot to talk in private. Honestly, even now, I still can't believe it. The emotions were so intense, the tears just kept coming.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoThe regime used to imprison people on supposedly non-political charges, things like alleged economic crimes. Since I'm a businessman, I thought they'd give me three or four years on some fake economic charges, and only after the elections.
But I never expected to scare them so much by pushing for real change. Once they realized that, they decided to lock me up preemptively, silence and bad-mouth me, and keep me behind bars.Imagine not being able to talk to anyone — literally no one. Not hearing a single kind word from anyone because all you ever hear are insults, threats, and negativity from the guards. They try to convince you that you're nobody, that you've been forgotten, that everyone has given up, and no one is fighting for you anymore. But I didn't believe them. I knew that many Belarusians supported me — I had seen that support on the streets with my own eyes.
Thinking about my family was hard because I had no information about them.
I had the chance to read books, and I read constantly. It helped me take my mind off everything as I waited for the day I'd be freed. I knew that day would come.Well, of course, it's a metaphor. The US administration has been preparing for the release of Belarusian political prisoners for a few years. The groundwork has been laid — I've heard this partly from diplomats involved in our release and from other sources.
The prosecutor visited me in prison last year, during the Biden administration. So the preparations were already underway, but under Donald Trump, this effort really picked up pace.
The thing is, Trump was planning to resolve the Ukraine issue quickly, which would lead to lifting sanctions on Russia. Since Belarus and Russia are part of a Union State, if the sanctions on Russia were lifted, the Lukashenko regime would automatically gain full access to all opportunities — so sanctions on Belarus would have to be lifted too. And if that happens, the political prisoners would have to be released as well.It's not about Trump personally. It's about the big politics where everything is connected and you can't just solve the issue of Belarussian political prisoners alone. It's definitely an important issue, but it's not as big as the war in Ukraine. That's a nightmare, a tragedy for all of Europe.
And I think European officials and diplomats are doing the right thing by ignoring the regime. As long as political prisoners remain behind bars, there should be no dialogue with it.At that time, I was still in pre-trial detention. My lawyers were visiting me, and I had newspaper subscriptions, so I found out right away. I couldn't believe it. I still don't understand how Putin, how the Russians could invade another country under the pretext that some Russians in Ukraine or the Russian language were under threat. If you really believe Russians are being mistreated, then bring them to your country. Build homes for them, give them pensions. Why kill so many people?
After that, I stopped receiving any information at all, so I really don't know what's been going on. Now, I'm just beginning to take it all in and try to understand it.
But one thing is clear to me: I fully support President Zelenskyy. He's facing an incredibly difficult situation, and we all need to stand behind him — even if he makes a mistake here and there.No, I didn't have to get to know her all over again. But honestly, I was surprised at how much she changed. She became such a businesslike woman — she wasn't a business lady before. But now she's so professional and driven. But at home, nothing has really changed. With the kids and with me, it's the same. The only difference is she's just completely exhausted all the time.It's not just that it could — it will. Absolutely, it will. And I think very soon you'll see us in many cities in Germany and in other European capitals as well. As for me personally — you'll definitely see me on livestreams.Not at all. I asked my wife the same question — and despite everything we've been through, she said she doesn't regret anything either. We couldn't have done it any other way. She had to submit documents as a presidential candidate in my stead. And then she couldn't but fight for me, once her husband was thrown in prison for nothing. She knew I wasn't a criminal — and not fighting wasn't an option.