Welcoming Sergey Tihanovski and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to Parliament, EP President Roberta Metsola said: “Sergey Tihanovski and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya are living proof that the fight for a free and democratic Belarus is alive and strong. Their presence in Europe’s house of democracy shows that courage cannot be silenced, and hope cannot be jailed. The European Parliament stands with them, and with every Belarusian who dreams and fights for a free and democratic future. The bonds that unite us Europeans cannot be broken.”

“From the very first day, the European Parliament stood by our side” said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She highlighted Parliament’s support for Belarusian democracy, and shared the story of her husband, Sergey, his imprisonment and release, calling for sustained international pressure on Belarus to free over 1,300 political prisoners. “Sanctions do work, no matter what the regime’s apologists say”, she added.

Turning to Ukraine, Tsikhanouskaya said…