Svetlana Tikhanouskaia, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, is visiting the Republic of Moldova to participate in the Moldova Women Forum 2023 from October 20-21.
Tikhanouskaia has also announced that she will have meetings with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, the President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu, and the members of the “For a Democratic Belarus” Friendship Group in Parliament.
“I am delighted to start my visit to Moldova at the invitation of President Maia Sandu. I look forward to discussing our common European aspirations. I will join the Moldova Women Forum 2023 and meet with Speaker Igor Grosu and the group for a democratic Belarus in the Parliament of Chișinău,” Tikhanouskaia wrote on a social media platform.
On October 21, the first edition of the Moldova Women Forum 2023 will take place at Castel Mimi. The event will be attended by over 170 women and more than 30 national and international panelists.
Svetlana Tikhanouskaia became a prominent political figure in Belarus after running in the 2020 presidential elections in place of her husband, Sergei Tikhanouski, who was arrested by Belarusian authorities a few months before the election date.
Due to the protests that erupted immediately after the election and the election results that were widely regarded as fraudulent by the international community, she was forced to go into exile.
Svetlana Tikhanouskaia, 41 years old, is a refugee in Lithuania and faces charges from Belarusian authorities, including “high treason” and “conspiracy for the unconstitutional seizure of power.” She was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, while her husband was sentenced to 18 years for “organizing mass disorder” and “incitement to hatred in society.”