The 2020 presidential elections in Belarus were considered fraudulent by most Western democracies. Despite massive support for opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, which independent monitors believe was around 70%, the official results were presented as favoring the country’s long-time president, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. As a result, he has now been serving for over 30 years as president. The widespread belief the election had been stolen triggered large-scale protests across the country.

Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets demanding freedom, respect for their votes, and fair elections. The regime responded with widespread repression: thousands were detained, hundreds were tortured, and dozens became political prisoners. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps near 1 million people, were forced to leave the country. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, forced to leave the country, became a symbol of the Belarusian struggle in exile for democracy. Since then, she has actively represented the interests of Belarus on the international stage, meeting with world leaders, promoting sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, and seeking to build support for democratic forces.