Sviatlana and Siarhei Tsikhanouski Receive Magnitsky Award

At a solemn ceremony in London, Belarusian opposition figures Sviatlana and Siarhei Tsikhanouski were awarded the Magnitsky Prize. They were recognized as winners in the "Outstanding Opposition Politicians" category in recognition of their unwavering dedication to building a free and democratic Belarus.

The award was presented to the Tsikhanouskis by the well-known political figure Vladimir Kara-Murza. In his speech, he emphasized the symbolic importance of this event. "It is a great honor for me to present the 2025 Magnitsky Prize in the 'Outstanding Opposition Politicians' category to President-elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Siarhei Tsikhanouski for their steadfast commitment to building a free, democratic, and European Belarus," Kara-Murza wrote on his X social media page.

It is noteworthy that Siarhei Tsikhanouski was not present at the award ceremony. As he reported on his Instagram page, he learned about the ceremony only the day before from social media and was unable to obtain a British visa in Vilnius in time.

The Magnitsky Prize was established in 2015 in memory of the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. He had uncovered large-scale corruption schemes involving high-ranking Russian officials, after which he was arrested and later died in a pre-trial detention center hospital. Today, this award is given to individuals who fight for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, demonstrating courage and principle.

In different years, the prize laureates have included politician Boris Nemtsov, former Moscow city deputy and political prisoner Alexei Gorinov, as well as Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya.