PM Trudeau meets with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya – April 15, 2024
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of the democratic coalition in Belarus, deliver remarks ahead of their meeting in Ottawa. The prime minister announces Canada is imposing sanctions on 21 Belarusian officials in response to the ongoing human rights violations in that country since the 2020 presidential election, which was widely seen as fraudulent. He also announces an investment for independent journalism in Belarus and Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya left her country amid mass anti-government protests that were triggered by the results of the presidential election. During her last visit to Canada in November 2022, the federal government announced sanctions against Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko's regime for facilitating and enabling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.