In Vilnius, near the Seimas of Lithuania, the white-red-white flag was raised as a sign of solidarity with Belarus
"The moment will come when we raise it over our cities, and it will return to our streets," Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said at the ceremony.
All photos: Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Today in Vilnius, a solemn raising of the white-red-white flag took place near the Seimas of Lithuania. This ceremony is part of the commemoration of the 108th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic.
The event was joined by the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Juozas Olekas, the Deputy Marshal of the Senate of Poland Michał Kamiński, members of the Seimas, and the Belarusian diaspora.
The ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of those who gave their lives for a free Belarus.
"Today, near the Seimas of Lithuania, we raise the white-red-white flag — a symbol of our freedom and indomitability.
This flag reminds us that there is another Belarus, non-Soviet, non-Russian. That Belarusians are not equal to the regime. It unites Belarusians: both those in exile and those at home.
Last week it flew in hundreds of cities around the world where Belarusians live.
In Belarus today, this is impossible to imagine. People are punished with years in prison for the flag, but I know that many secretly keep it at home. And the moment will come when we raise it over our cities, and it will return to our streets," Tsikhanouskaya said.