Mathilde Gahier, a student at the Institut Florimont in Geneva, presented the empty chair for Maria Kalesnikava at the 17th Annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on February 18th, 2025.
Full Remarks:
The empty chair on this stage is dedicated to Maria Kalesnikava, an opposition leader and defender of democracy in Belarus.
Maria’s career was in music and arts. She played the flute in concert performances, and directed international cultural projects. But in 2018, she met Viktar Babaryka, who was running to be president. She decided to head his 2020 presidential campaign and launched a new political party advocating for democratic reforms. When he was unjustly arrested, Maria joined the campaign of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, to form a unified opposition against dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Despite losing the election, Lukashenko declared victory. Maria courageously rallied tens of thousands of citizens against the fraudulent outcome. The regime tried to silence her. Yet despite the risks, Maria refused to back down.
In September 2020, a month after the election, Maria was abducted by agents of the regime and dragged to the Ukrainian border. They were going to force her into exile. She managed to free herself just long enough to tear up her passport at the border—choosing imprisonment in the country that she loves over exile.
Maria was detained and, in a sham trial, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. She has since been subjected to harsh conditions and spent months in solitary confinement. In 2022, she was hospitalized as a result of mistreatment.
Yet, even from behind bars, Maria remains a powerful symbol of hope and resilience, inspiring those fighting for freedom in Belarus and beyond.
Here at the Geneva Summit in 2022, her sister Tatsiana Khomich came to advocate for her release. She emphasized that despite Maria’s dire state, her spirit remains unbroken. “For Maria,” she said, “optimism is an expression of her freedom. It’s her decision to remain strong.”
Just as Maria chooses to remain strong, so must we in our call to hold the Lukashenko regime accountable.
Today, we say to Maria Kalesnikava: You are not alone. We stand with you. We continue your fight for democracy in Belarus, and we will not rest until you are released.
