Good afternoon, dear colleagues, associates, all present. On this and, most importantly, on the other side of the screen. Who is watching and listening to us now not in the hall of the Palace of Science and Culture in Warsaw - but online or on record.
Many thanks to everyone who provides information support for this event, to all the media representatives and journalists present. Thanks to you, we can say that we have the opportunity to ensure the implementation of one of the main principles that democratic forces should be guided by - the principle of transparency.
And so I pay special attention and I am especially grateful to all the viewers who have joined and are watching us now. It is for them that we work and we are responsible to them for this work. First of all, before the Belarusian people and society, each representative of the United Transitional Cabinet will present their reports today - in accordance with their obligations and areas of responsibility.
As a person who had the honor of being the head of the oldest National Kupala Theater, as well as a former Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, I perfectly understand how important the spectacle of public events is.
But I hope we all understand that today's report is not a show. I hope that we all understand the seriousness and importance of this event and are ready for constructive and fruitful work. Therefore, I urge all those present to treat our event and its participants with responsibility and respect.
First of all, we work for Belarus and Belarusians. Our common goal is to free our country from dictatorship, violence and lawlessness, to preserve and ensure the independence of our country and lead it to freedom and democracy. It is for this purpose that the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus was created and operates as the executive body of the Belarusian democratic forces. As well as each of its representatives.
I am personally convinced of this and am guided by this. Therefore, I can say with full responsibility that everything I do as a representative of the Cabinet as well as the team of the National Anti-Crisis Management is aimed at achieving our common goal and ensuring the interests of the people of Belarus.
It is a great honor for me to open these hearings.
And it is very symbolic to take part in them, being now in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which for all of us is an example of perseverance, invincibility, strength of spirit and will to win. To win in the struggle for the independence of their Homeland, for the freedom of the people and for life itself. After all, we are also fighting for life. For the preservation of our Homeland, for its liberation, for the freedom and lives of Belarusians who are under repression, who are in captivity of the Lukashenko regime - both behind real bars in prisons and behind bars of a general state of lack of freedom, which, unfortunately, still oppresses our Belarus.
But I believe, I am sure that we will overcome this state. We will eliminate the criminal regime that created it. And we will build a free, democratic and independent Belarus.
And that is why it is important - and I am also sure of this - that, as a result of today's hearings, both the Cabinet and our entire democratic movement will only become stronger and more effective. After all, we can only win if we are strong and united.
Together to victory. And long live Belarus!
In accordance with the Regulations of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, the Representative for the transit of power is responsible for:
development and promotion of proposals on restrictive measures against the regime in response to human rights violations and repressions against the Belarusian people through foreign partners;
activities aimed at using international mechanisms to bring to justice those involved in human rights violations and crimes against humanity,
preparation for the transit of power,
development of human resources and formation of a staff reserve for state bodies of New Belarus.
Thus, in accordance with the areas of responsibility of the Representative for the transit of power, our main areas of work are:
In the sphere of international legal pressure and prosecution. Key actions:
appeal to the International Criminal Court (hereinafter referred to as the ICC) on the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children,
appeal to the ICC on the crimes of the Lukashenka regime against humanity,
facilitating the prosecution of regime representatives within the framework of universal jurisdiction mechanisms,
promoting the idea of creating a Special Tribunal and reaching an agreement with partner States to file an application to the International Court of Justice for violation of the Convention on Torture.
In the sphere of sanctions pressure.
Economic sanctions. Key actions:
development of proposals for the introduction of trade and financial restrictions on the Lukashenka regime,
lobbying for the introduction of new sanctions measures at the national and supranational levels,
countering exceptions to sanctions packages and easing sanctions,
accumulation of information on the facts of circumvention of sanctions and transfer of this information to the competent authorities.
Personal sanctions. Key actions:
preparation of personal sanctions lists for both international organizations and national governments, and their promotion.
In the sphere of transit of power.
The Independent Strategic Group, at the initiative of the Transit Representative, created a document with a transition strategy, which includes part of the transit plan. This document is being discussed at the Coordination Council hearings. Thus, the document is currently under preparation and public discussion.
Preparing for the transit of power:
development of human resources. Creating a staff reserve for government agencies. The program "Personnel reserve".
For the period 2022-2023, the Representative's field of activity was planned to:
Prepare a preliminary report, and on its basis – an appeal to the ICC on the fact of illegal transfer of Ukrainian children. Send an appeal to the ICC.
Prepare a report on the facts of crimes against humanity against the Belarusian society. Send an appeal to the ICC and other supranational and national institutions.
Prepare justifications for partners to include regime organizations the KGB and GUBOPiK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus in the list of terrorist organizations. Ensure that relevant decisions are taken by national parliaments.
Promote accountability of regime representatives under universal jurisdiction mechanisms.
Adopt a Cabinet resolution on sanctions policy and the "Economic Coercion" strategy. Prepare justifications for partners to lobby for the introduction of new economic and personal sanctions.
Develop the project "Personnel reserve" and start implementing it.
What was completed from the planned list?
Prepare a preliminary report, and on its basis – an appeal to the ICC on the fact of illegal transfer of Ukrainian children. Send an appeal to the ICC.
Until May 2023, we had prepared a preliminary report “The role of the Lukashenka regime and the Union State of Belarus and Russia in the illegal transfer and re-education of Ukrainian children".
Already at the first stage, we have achieved the following:
PACE in its resolution of April 27, 2023 also noted the responsibility of the Lukashenka regime for criminal actions related to the illegal movement of Ukrainian children,
On May, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine unanimously adopted the "Appeal to the Parliaments and Governments of Foreign states, International organizations and their parliamentary assemblies to condemn the crimes of forced deportation of Ukrainian children committed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus”. It is important that both the appeal and the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada were amended, which noted the role of Lukashenka in the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children,
at the summit of Heads of State of the Council of Europe on May 16-17, 2023 in Reykjavik, a part on the role of the Lukashenka regime in the above-mentioned criminal actions was added to the text of the declaration,
In May 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine launched an investigation into the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus,
wide reaction of the world media to the role of the Lukashenka regime and the so-called Union State (Telegraph, Reuters, Sky News, Economist, Associated Press, Washington Post, Fox News, New York Times, US News, ABC News, etc.).
All the above-mentioned documents were lobbied by the Representative team in communication with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, international organizations and deputies, as well as through active work with the media.
In June 2023, we prepared a communication in accordance with article 15 of the Rome Statute to the Prosecutor of the ICC on the illegal deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from the territories occupied by Russia to Belarus.
On June 27, 2023, we submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague the above-mentioned materials on the involvement of Lukashenka, Mezentsev, Golovaty, Talai and Volkova in the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children from the occupied Ukrainian territories to Belarus. During the meeting, an agreement was reached on further cooperation.
Similar materials were sent to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
The materials prepared by the Representative and the National Anti-Crisis Management contain evidence that in the period from September 2022 to the present, an organized and systematic transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus from the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia is being conducted.
It has been established that Ukrainian children, including those under the care of the Ukrainian State: orphans, children with disabilities and children whose parents have been deprived of parental rights, are illegally transferred to the territory of Belarus.
The materials provided indicate that Lukashenka personally signed documents of an organizational and administrative nature under the guise of the so-called Union State of Belarus and Russia.
The largest number of children were taken to the Dubrava camp, which belongs to the Belaruskali company. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has received evidence of the direct involvement of the head of the Belaruskali company in the organization of these crimes Ivan Golovaty.
It should be noted that the legal assessment of the evidence is within the exclusive competence of the International Criminal Court, and the transfer of this evidence to the court is an important step towards bringing to justice representatives of the regime and Lukashenka himself for the war crimes committed.
Also, the Representative and team of the National Anti-Crisis Management plans to transfer information about crimes against Ukrainian children to other international structures, for example, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. According to our data, more than 3,000 Ukrainian children, including orphans, have already been exported to Belarus from September 2022 to November 2023.
This is a sensitive case in which the victims are children, so we assess possible risks for them, we are guided by the do no harm principle, and cannot yet disclose all the details of our current work.
It is important to note that the issues of illegal transfer of Ukrainian children, anti-Ukrainian indoctrination, propaganda, promotion of hatred towards Ukraine, the Ukrainian language, culture and history, as well as the fact of transfer of more than 3,000 Ukrainian children were highlighted in the speech of the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergey Kislitsa during the UN Security Council meeting on July 27, 2023.
Earlier, on July 19, the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission adopted a new report on the EU's relations with Belarus. The report also called for the issuance of an arrest warrant for Lukashenka and stated that his regime is responsible for damage to Ukraine and crimes, including because of the regime's role in the illegal transfer of children.
We publish open materials of communication to the Prosecutor of the ICC, as well as a report on coverage in the world media, which you can find on the NAM website.
For the first time in recent years, we have managed to start dictating our agenda and create a real threat of responsibility for representatives of the Lukashenka regime.
2. Prepare a report on the facts of crimes against humanity against the Belarusian society. Send an appeal to the ICC and other supranational and national institutions.
The Representative and experts of the NAM team carry out fundamental work aimed at protecting the interests of Belarusian citizens who are victims of crimes against humanity committed by the regime, and at bringing to justice those responsible for these crimes.
Factual data and legal analysis of crimes against humanity in Belarus will be presented for the first time on July 26, 2023 in a detailed report.
The NAM's partner, the Justice Hub Center for Law and Democracy, has published a report on crimes against humanity in Belarus and mechanisms for bringing perpetrators to justice. We have provided all possible support to the Center for Law and Democracy in this work.
The published report actually substantiates the fulfilment of the International Criminal Law criterion of "reasonable grounds to believe" that unlawful deprivation of liberty, torture, murder, rape (including against minors), enforced disappearance, persecution on political grounds, as well as deportation in the context of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population of Belarus from May 2020 to the present day constitute crimes against humanity. The report indicates that at least 136,000 people are victims of these crimes.
I would like to draw special attention to the part of the report that emphasizes that this attack on the civilian population is a state policy of the Lukashenka regime."
The constituent elements of the Lukashenko regime's policy are:
violence against protesters;
ensuring impunity for the perpetrators;
discrimination against the civilian population;
imprisonment of the civilian population;
statements by high-ranking officials that encourage attacks on the civilian population;
propaganda of hatred against civilians through the media,
prohibition of professional activities for the attacked civilian population.
The report pays special attention to the main perpetrators of these crimes. Among them are representatives of the Belarusian law enforcement agencies (OMON, KGB, GUBOPiK, etc.), as well as judges, prosecutors, and the top political leadership of the regime, including the dictator himself.
Of particular value are the chapters devoted to bringing to justice those responsible for these crimes. In fact, these chapters contain a detailed algorithm of actions to activate various mechanisms of international criminal law: the International Criminal Court, the creation of a special International Criminal Tribunal for Belarus, and the application of universal jurisdiction at the national level.
The Representative and the NAM are already working in these areas. The results of this work will definitely be quickly communicated to Belarusians.
This report is intended to contribute to countering crimes against humanity in Belarus and is aimed at supporting the Belarusian people in their hopes of ending violence, oppression and impunity, as well as striving for peace, democracy and justice. The report has already been sent to the Foreign Ministries of the EU countries, Latin America, Asia and Africa, as well as to leading international organizations.
The International Law Commission has recognized crimes against humanity as a threat to international peace and order. In accordance with Article 1 of the UN Charter, each State Party to the UN has committed itself to combating such crimes.
3. Prepare justifications for partners to include regime organizations the KGB and GUBOPiK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus in the list of terrorist organizations. Ensure that relevant decisions are taken by national parliaments
In the course of negotiations and consultations with state authorities, diplomats and parliamentarians of European countries, I, as a representative of the United Transitional Cabinet, regularly raised the issue of possible expansion of the lists of terrorist organizations in these countries to include the KGB and GUBOPiK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. Our legal team has prepared a justification for recognizing these regime organizations as terrorist organizations.
On December 8, 2022, the Lithuanian Seimas adopted a resolution on serious systematic human rights violations in Belarus. It also called for recognizing law enforcement agencies, in particular, the KGB and the GUBOPiK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as terrorist organizations.
On February 15, 2023, the Czech Senate adopted a resolution on repressions against civil society and called on the government to recognize the KGB and GUBOPiK of Belarus as organizations that support terrorism. We also see our own contribution in this. The agreement was reached with the head of the Czech Parliament Marketa Adamova in Warsaw and Prague.
4. Promote accountability of regime representatives under universal jurisdiction mechanisms.
A number of activities were carried out to coordinate the actions of key actors on the issue of universal jurisdiction. Legal and informational support and support of submitted applications (more than 20) and search for new ones (at least 6 are being prepared) were continued .
To date, we have advised on more than 20 cases in Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Ukraine under the universal jurisdiction to support appeals on behalf of victims of the regime's criminal acts. We cooperate with the following lawyers, law offices, and human rights organizations:
WILIŃSKI LEGAL,
KOPEC & ZABOROWSKI,
Matas B.,
European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.
A few concrete examples. With the participation of the Representative office, an application was submitted to the Polish prosecutor's Office in October 2022 on behalf of three victims. They have already been interrogated, and the victims are awaiting the first procedural decision from law enforcement agencies. Lithuania is also considering a case on bringing criminal responsibility for an illegal judicial decision of a judge from the system of the Lukashenka regime.
I have also personally testified as a victim at the National Prosecutor's Office of Poland in a criminal case under universal jurisdiction, as well as in connection with the hijacking of a Ryanair civil plane and the artificial migration crisis organized by the Lukashenka regime.
There are some cases that we cannot report to the public, but we expect a positive result and the announcement of suspects on the international wanted list in the near future.
Contacts have been established with the Canadian academic community for possible promotion of the application of the universal jurisdiction mechanism in this country.
We are aware that there are many obstacles to the effective application of the principle of universal jurisdiction. Problems of inefficient use of mechanisms and proposals for improvement were presented in the European Parliament in April.
A further priority in the direction of universal jurisdiction is lobbying at the level of relevant national and supranational organizations and structures, which will "push through" the bureaucratic resistance of prosecutor's offices and investigations.
At the same time, we are constantly expanding the circle of partners in the legal and human rights community for effective synergy.
5. Adopt a Cabinet resolution on sanctions policy and the "Economic Coercion" strategy. Prepare justifications for partners to lobby for the introduction of new economic and personal sanctions.
Resolution No. 4 of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus "On continuing work on sanctions pressure" was adopted on March 7, 2023. This resolution approved the strategy of "Economic coercion" aimed at further economic pressure on the Lukashenka regime.
Since the creation of the Cabinet, coordination has begun and regular work has been established to submit proposals for improving the sanctions regime and expanding the sanctions lists to the supranational bodies of the EU, as well as to the governments of the EU member states and other democratic states of the world (the United States, Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada, Ukraine, etc.).
These proposals were sent to the competent authorities of the European Union (both the European Commission and the European External Action Service), the United Kingdom, the United States, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine, etc. (only for November 2022 to July 2023, a total of 49 emails).
The proposals were conveyed during personal meetings and visits, including during a visit to Poland by Robin Dunigan, Assistant Secretary of State of the United States, meetings with James S. O'Brien (representative of the U.S. State Department's Office of Sanctions Coordination), Paul Masar (Senior Policy Advisor to the Commission on Security and Co-operation in Europe), Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada deputy Bohdan Eremenko, Polish Ministers of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, Slovak Foreign Minister, deputy foreign ministers of Lithuania, Czech Republic, political directors of the Foreign Ministries of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, ambassadors of Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine in Poland, members of national parliaments and MEPs, etc.
We have formed a position on the need to harmonise sanctions against Russia and Belarus, which was sent on behalf of the Head of the Cabinet to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the EU foreign policy officer Josep Borrell and the President of the European Council Charles Michel. The position was also passed on to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
As a result, a resolution of the European Parliament of 24.11.2022 2022/2956(RSP) was adopted, which called on the EU countries and the European Commission to impose the same sanctions on Belarus that they imposed on Russia, as well as to prevent evasion of sanctions and their strict implementation, as well as a resolution of 15.03.2023 (2023/2573(RSP), which contains a call to expand sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, a report from the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission dated July 19, 2023, which called for expanding the sanctions list of persons involved in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
In total, we proposed the introduction of personal sanctions against 340 individuals, including those from the top military and political leadership of the Lukashenka regime who contributed to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, judges who passed illegal sentences, propagandists who incited hostility between peoples and spread false information, members of the so-called National Assembly of the Republic Belarus, which adopted discriminatory “legislation " that contradicts the law, sports officials who persecuted athletes, etc.
A list was also formed with justification for 13 enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Belarus, which was sent to the authorized bodies of the EU and the absolute majority of EU countries, as well as the United States, Great Britain, Canada and other countries.
Including on the basis of our proposals, a number of decisions of a sanctions nature have already been taken against representatives of the Lukashenka regime.
So, Poland introduced national sanctions in November 2022. In the same month (23.11.2023), Canada imposed sanctions on 22 individuals and 16 companies from Belarus. On November 21, New Zealand expanded the sanctions, and in January 2023 – Taiwan.
Also on January 17, 2023, additional sanctions were imposed by the United States, which added 25 more people to its personal list. Before that, in August – September 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on more than 100 officials and some enterprises (including Svetlogorsk chemical fiber). At the end of January this year, Ukraine imposed sanctions on 23 Belarusian enterprises.
Last week, the European Union agreed on a new package of sanctions against Belarus, which concerns the complicity of the Lukashenka regime in Russia's aggression against Ukraine. This package is based on our proposals to harmonize the sanctions policy against Russia and the Lukashenka regime. In addition, it provides for personal sanctions against certain representatives of the military-political leadership of the regime (21 individuals) also proposed by us.
The 340 persons we offer are subject to personal national sanctions of Poland (a total of 365 persons), including local deputies and officials, members of the National Assembly, judges, propagandists, sports functionaries. Poland also partially took into account our proposals to restrict the activities of a number of transport border crossings .
The 11th package of sanctions against Russia includes the head of the Belarusian Railway Morozov and the head of the state military-industrial complex of the Republic of Belarus Pantus, proposed by the NAM team.
In March 2023, Lukashenka's aircraft (Boeing 737), as well as a number of large enterprises, came under US sanctions. In May 2023, also in order to harmonize sanctions with Russia, the United States imposed restrictions on the supply of a number of dual-use goods to Belarus.
In April 2023, Canada imposed sanctions on a number of Belarusian banks. According to our proposal, in June 2023, the United Kingdom has already partially harmonized trade sanctions against the Lukashenka regime and Russia, banning the export of banknotes to Belarus, as well as the import of gold, wood, cement and rubber from Belarus.
In May 2023, the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Belarus proposed by the NAM team were sanctioned by Ukraine, and later the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also proposed to apply sanctions against a number of individuals, including sports functionaries.
Work was underway to prevent Portugal from easing sanctions on potash fertilizers from Belarus, which has so far resulted in compliance with EU sanctions on potash fertilizers.
We prepared a number of analytical notes on the baselessness of the thesis about the threat to food security, in which we gave a detailed analysis of the global fertilizer and nutrition market in general, and the African region in particular (as the most vulnerable in terms of food security), including price dynamics, existing demand, logistics and production capabilities.
Appropriate appeals were written to the President (on behalf of Pavel Latushka, as well as MEPs), the Prime Minister of Portugal (on behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya), leaders of Portuguese parliamentary parties (Socialist, Social Democratic and Liberal Initiative), major trade unions (such as the General Union of Workers) and the media in Portugal on the need to maintain sanctions on potash fertilizers with a reasoned justification (14 sheets in total).
In our letters, we talked about the involvement of the Belaruskali leadership in the illegal movement of Ukrainian children, the scale of ongoing repressions in Belarus, as well as the complicity of the Lukashenko regime in the Russian aggression against Ukraine. These issues were also discussed at bilateral meetings - both by the head of the Cabinet Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, and by me - with the Portuguese Ambassador to Poland, MEPs from Portugal.
6. Develop the project "Personnel reserve" and start implementing the project.
The start of recruitment for training personnel for New Belarus for administrative positions was at the end of last year. At the moment, we have 431 applications. Mostly these are motivated people who already have the appropriate level of education and work experience, experience in managing teams. It is important that a significant part of them - 33.4% - are now in Belarus, and, understanding all the risks associated with participation in the personnel reserve, nevertheless expressed a desire to join the team of future state managers.
During this period, a large online educational program on the basics of public administration was conducted. We may say it was “Introduction to the specialty”, which was applied for by 170 people. This program has a very high level of grades.
We can say that even if changes take place tomorrow, we have a certain good potential to fill key positions in a number of ministries, as well as at the regional level, in the public administration system of Belarus. We expect that the number of participants will continue to grow.
The "talent pool" is not just about training people who will be involved in the moment of change. We suggest that we not only wait for this time to come, but also bring it closer, because even now the members of the Personnel Reserve have the opportunity to become part of the teams of the main centers of the democratic forces, such as the United Transitional Cabinet, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya or the NAM. They can apply for jobs, become part of these teams, and work to bring change closer as soon as possible.
Combating regime propaganda and providing truthful information
One of the most important areas of activity is information work.
Main areas of activity:
counter the propaganda of the regime (maximum dissemination of reliable information about the regime's criminal activities, coverage of anti-regime activities),
communicating information about the real situation in Belarus to foreign partners through social networks,
creating an agenda that forces the regime to respond to the activities of the democratic forces of Belarus.
During the reporting period (11 months), only on 18 resources of the Representative Pavel Latushka and NAM the number of organic views totalled more than 90 million.
With our agenda we reach the media not only in European countries, but also the media of South Korea, Japan, Argentina, Paraguay and so on.
We consider it extremely important to remain active in the information space. The focus on Belarus, the topic of Belarus should not leave the world media.
Cooperation with other representatives of the Cabinet
Effective cooperation with other representatives on various issues has been established since the appointment.
We worked closely with the Representative on the Preservation of Law and Order to verify the sanctions lists.
Our Transit of Power Office assisted the Representative on National Security and Defence with material support for activities and establishing contacts with military attachés from various countries.
Within the framework of the "Personnel Reserve" programme, Deputy Representative for Transit of Power Yuri Gubarevich cooperates with the Representative on National Revival in promoting educational programmes for the students of the Personnel Reserve.
Close co-operation is maintained with the Representative on International Affairs on various foreign policy issues, especially sanctions activities and the opening of a representative office of democratic Belarus in Brussels, since all restrictive measures against the regime are in the hands of our international partners and allies.
The Transit of Power Office supports the activities of the Representative on Social Policy in a variety of projects.
The Transit of Power Office regularly prepares draft Cabinet decisions, Cabinet statements, positions on the area of competence for other Cabinet representatives, as well as on a proactive basis and at the request of the Head of State for bilateral and multilateral international meetings.
Our further tasks are:
Arrest warrant for Lukashenka (for crimes against humanity against the Belarusian people and war crimes for transfer of Ukrainian children).
Bringing to justice other representatives of the regime (ICC, universal jurisdiction and Special International Tribunal for Belarus, International Tribunal on the Fact of Aggression).
Sanctions as an instrument of pressure and prosecution (personal and economic).
Expansion of the personnel reserve (for central and regional authorities).
Forming the perception of the Union State as an instrument of destroying Belarusian statehood and creating a critical perception of it both in the Belarusian society and among civil servants.
Split of the so-called elites.
This concludes the factual part of the report of the representative of the Cabinet on the transit of power. And I thank you for your attention.
Before we move on to questions and answers, I would like to say a few more words.
I think that all those present here know my deep conviction that only a system can defeat another system. Only systematic, methodical, purposeful work based on a specific strategy can have results and fruits. Strategic goals can only be achieved by setting specific goals and concentrating all available resources on their implementation.
Our goals are known. A year ago, at the New Belarus Conference, we managed to combine our efforts and create the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus. In my opinion, it is one of the key elements of the system and strategy for achieving democratic change. We have created an institutional alternative to Lukashenko's regime.
Of course, we have limited resources, limited tools and capabilities. But, despite all the difficult conditions of our work, as you can already see from my report and from the reports of other representatives of the Cabinet, we are moving forward.
But we have the potential for more. We must work further. We must work more closely, more coherently and therefore more effectively. As a single system, with common goals and a common strategy.
Therefore, I appeal to you, dear members of the Coordination Council, and ask you to support the representatives of the Cabinet. It is important to increase and strengthen our mutual support, it is important to have this structure, it is important to increase efficiency, it is important to achieve great results. But the very fact of the emergence of the institution, the very activity during this period, with all the criticality of self-assessment, indicates that the institutionalization, unity and consistency of the democratic movement are necessary and this will bear fruit.
The national interests of Belarus are first of all. Nobody, except us, Belarusians, will decide the fate of Belarus.
Together to victory. And long live Belarus!
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