Belarus at a Crossroads

Join us for a timely discussion on the evolving political landscape in Belarus. The speaker - Valery Tsepkalo - will explore the state of Belarusian society and opposition forces six months after the most recent presidential “elections,” focusing on public sentiment, political mobilization, and the regime’s continued crackdown. The talk will also address the consequences of the recent controversy around the so-called Coordination Council and its effect on the unity and outreach of the opposition. Finally, the discussion will examine the potential for Belarus to become entangled in Putin’s broader war against Europe or to be used to build a “buffer zone” in Ukraine. 

Valery Tsepkalo is a Belarusian opposition leader, political activist, and founder of the Belarus High Technologies Park (HTP), which played a key role in developing the country’s IT sector. In 2020, he emerged as one of the two main frontrunners against Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election, alongside Viktor Babariko. As a result, the authorities invalidated the signatures they had collected in an effort to disqualify both candidates and prevent them from appearing on the ballot or continuing their campaigns. Barred from running and facing threats of arrest, Tsepkalo fled Belarus with his children, while his wife, Veronika Tsepkalo, remained active in the opposition alongside Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Maria Kalesnikava. From exile, he has continued to campaign against Lukashenko’s regime, advocating for democratic reforms, human rights, and international pressure on the Belarusian government. He founded the Free Belarus initiative to unite the opposition abroad, raise global awareness about political repression, and support Belarus’s transition to democracy.