Council of Europe opens information point in Vilnius for Belarusians: “You are not alone”

A new Council of Europe information point for Belarusians has opened in Vilnius, offering resources and support to democratic forces and civil society representatives from Belarus, LRT reports.

The centre, inaugurated Tuesday at the National Martynas Mažvydas Library, will provide information on the Council’s work and values while implementing the Contact Group’s programme for cooperation with Belarusian democratic actors.

Aušrinė Žilinskienė, the library’s director general, called the opening a historic moment. “Today, history speaks to us again and reminds us that democratic values cannot be taken for granted,” she said during the ceremony.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, speaking in Lithuanian, thanked the Council of Europe and Lithuania for the initiative. “We Belarusians are not alone—thank you to the Council of Europe and thank you to Lithuania,” she said, emphasising that the centre reinforces Belarus’s place in Europe and fosters dialogue within civil society.

Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas reaffirmed Lithuania’s continued support for Belarusian democrats, condemning the ongoing human rights violations under Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. “It is symbolic that we open this information point near Independence Square, where our freedom was defended 34 years ago,” he said.

The centre fulfils Lithuania’s 2024 commitments as former chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Many Belarusian opposition figures have relocated to Lithuania and neighbouring countries following the 2020 crackdown on mass protests, which were violently suppressed after Lukashenko’s disputed re-election. Around 65,000 people were detained, and thousands fled the country. Human rights groups estimate over 1,000 political prisoners remain in Belarus.

Lukashenko, who has ruled for nearly 30 years, won another term in January’s election—widely condemned as the most repressive since Belarus’s independence. Western governments do not recognise his legitimacy.