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11:43
Issued on: 09/07/2025 - 15:36
11:43 min
From the show
Reading time 1 min
Exiled Belarusian opposition leaders Sergey Tikhanovsky and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya granted a joint interview to FRANCE 24 from Vilnius. Tikhanovsky, who was recently released after more than five years in prison, called on US President Donald Trump to "go further" and free the remaining Belarusian political prisoners. "Belarus can be a success story for all of us," he said, describing his release as the result of a "joint international effort" including Trump's team and European leaders.
Reunited with his wife and fellow Belarusian opposition leader Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius, Tikhanovsky explained that his daughter "didn't recognise" him when he returned home. "That broke my heart," he said. "She spent most of her life without me. But now I will be there for her."
He also insisted he "did not sign anything" to abandon politics in return for his freedom.
Tikhanovskaya warned that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko remains "very vulnerable" as "most Belarusians hate him", adding "we all understand that Lukashenko is [a] puppet of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin".
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English (US) · 