Refugee Belarusian opposition leader received in Bruges

But the elections in Belarus were rigged. Her husband is imprisoned and, as the winner of the elections, she had to flee from the regime that is very close to Putin’s Russia. Minou Esquenet, alderman of Bruges: “I have an incredible amount of admiration for this person. I think her struggle is very difficult and very hard. That is why we want to give her all the support possible.”

Tikhanovskaya fights against a regime that appears to be destroying democracy in Belarus. Thousands of opponents are in prison. Also her husband, whose photo she always carries with her. “He is in prison. He dared to fight with Lukashenko. The people wanted him. But he was captured immediately. At that moment, I took his place. I was an ordinary housewife. It was so for me important to take that over and win in the elections in 2020. But Lukashenko kept power and forced me to flee.” (continue reading below the photo)

Municipal councilor Pol Van den Driessche maintains close contacts with the opponent from Belarus. He was able to invite her to Bruges and thinks she deserves all the support. “If you know what that woman has been through. Her family, her husband, her friends, they have all been captured. They have no contact. And she continues to fight that fight for democracy, and for a path away from Putin. It is so topical. Because Belarus is completely under the spell of Putin.”

Tichanovskaya was given a tour of Bruges and also met students and professors from the College of Europe this afternoon. There, too, she asked for support to continue to believe in the value and importance of democracy.