In Belarus today, going out with a flag means prison. Here in Florida, we can walk freely. Let us use that freedom.

Each of us is a voice for those who have been forced into silence.

Every year on April 26, Belarusians remember the Chernobyl disaster and its long aftermath by joining Charnobylski Shlyakh (“the Chernobyl Way”) — in memory of the victims, in protest against deception, and in solidarity with everyone who bore and still bears the weight of that catastrophe and the state’s choices that followed.

The Zmagar association organized a gathering in this spirit in Florida for members of the diaspora: to remember alongside one another rather than alone — with adults, children, and friends.

Why “here” matters

Today in Belarus, anyone making a public appearance with symbols—including the historical Belarusian flag—faces severe punishment. The central message of the meeting in Florida was simple: wherever it is still possible to march without fear of reprisal, one must not forgo that opportunity—not least for the sake of those who are currently deprived of such a choice.

In remembrance

• We remember the tragedy at Chernobyl and what it continues to mean for Belarus.
• We do not stay silent where we can still be heard.
• We walk together — step by step with everyone for whom this still matters.

Some stays with you for a long time. On 14 September in Miami, the Belarusian community had a chance to meet in person someone whose fate has become a symbol of a whole people’s struggle — Siarhei Tsikhanouski.

Only a few months ago he walked out of a Belarusian prison after five years inside. He had been sentenced to eighteen years. He was held in complete isolation — more than two years without a single word to his family. Prison staff told him: “You will die here.” His weight fell from 135 to 79 kilograms. At the meeting, his own daughter did not recognise him.

And still — he came out. Alive. With an unbroken spirit. With a voice.

“I still count on the democratic forces to win. Belarus will be free!” — Siarhei Tsikhanouski, after his release.

In 2020 he travelled Belarus with a camera — letting people say out loud what they had kept silent about for years. His channel “A Country for Life” drew hundreds of thousands of views. He gave a voice to those who had had it taken away. For that he was arrested before the elections even began.

Now he is in Miami. He is learning English. He meets the diaspora. He tells the truth about what went on behind the walls of Belarusian prisons. And he is building again what he believes in.

For those of us who live here, far from Belarus, this meeting was not just an event. It was contact with living history.

In Belarus today thousands sit behind bars for the same thing Sergei did — they told the truth. Every gathering we hold here, every voice we raise is also a voice for them. We are here — they are there. But we are still one people.

Thank you, Siarhei. Thank you for your strength.
Long live Belarus!

There are dates that never die. On March 25, 1918, in German-occupied Minsk, in a hall on Serpukhovskaya Street, the hands of Rada Chairman Janka Sierada trembled. He knew exactly what he was signing — the Third Constituent Charter, by which Belarus, for the first time in its history, proclaimed itself a free and independent state.

The Belarusian People’s Republic (BPR) did not last long. The Bolsheviks returned, borders were sealed, and the flag was taken down. But the word had been spoken. And once the word of freedom has been uttered, it can never be silenced.

For decades, the Belarusian intelligentsia celebrated this day in secret — in art studios, at dachas, and in the forests. In 1989, student Aleś Puškin stepped onto Lenin Avenue with a placard and 71 balloons — one for each year since the proclamation of the BPR. He was arrested. But the following year, more people came. And then even more..

Today in Belarus itself, marking this day is dangerous. Displaying the white-red-white flag can lead to arrest. Saying “Long Live Belarus” can mean prison. That is precisely why the diaspora around the world — in Vilnius, Warsaw, New York, and Miami — takes to the streets and lights the flame.

Because as long as even one Belarusian remembers March 25, Belarus remains free — at least in their heart.

We congratulate all Belarusians — both in Belarus and around the world. Those who remember.

On the first weekend of September 2022, Belarusians from the United States and Canada met in the historic heart of Belarusian America — the Belarusian Centre in South River, New Jersey. It was here, on the very soil where the memory of the zmagars has been kept for decades, that the 34th gathering of Belarusians in North America took place.

South River is not just an address. It is a place where, since the post-war years, the heart of the Belarusian diaspora has beat. Here stands the Church of Saint Euphrosyne; here is the Belarusian cemetery; here is a monument to those who fought for Belarus’s freedom. And it is here, time and again, that Belarusians from both sides of the Atlantic come together to speak of the homeland, of the future, and of what it means to be Belarusian far from home.

As long as we are together — Belarus lives in our hearts

2022 was a special year — the world was changing, and with it the role of the diaspora. After the historic protests of 2020, Belarusians abroad became a voice for their people on the world stage. Each such meeting is not merely a convention; it is an act of resistance to forgetting, a living bond between generations of emigrants and the new wave of Belarusians who left their country in search of freedom.

3–4 September 2022
South River, New Jersey
Venue: Belarusian Centre · 284 Whitehead Ave, South River, NJ 08882

284 Whitehead Ave, South River, NJ — every Belarusian in America knows this address. History is preserved here. The future is forged here. This gathering is part of a great tradition that has not broken for decades. And as long as we meet, as long as the Belarusian word is spoken, as long as this living thread between us burns — Long live Belarus!

On the morning of June 27, Belarusians living in Florida came together in Hallandale Beach — to support their compatriots at home and to show solidarity with everyone in the country who opposes violence, repression and pressure on anyone who thinks differently.

Solidarity and demands

We count ourselves among the 97% who are opposed, and we express our solidarity with you. We demand the immediate release of everyone imprisoned without legal grounds — from Sergei Tikhanovsky and Viktar Babaryka to Maxim Furmanov and Stepan Losik.

We condemn any form of war against peaceful citizens. Belarusians deserve freedom and respectful treatment — we are a European people with a rich history; let us not forget that! Together alone we shall prevail! Lukashenka, your place is on the scrapheap of history — leave of your own accord!

Many who live abroad would gladly return to a free country — free from the dictatorship of the riot baton and the whip, free from the delusions of one unhinged old man, free from rudeness and mismanagement. Let us achieve that together!

Long live Belarus!