A Triumvirate of Feminism, Life, Resistance

Dear Darya, dear Irina, dear Julia,

Dear Imme,

Distinguished guests of the Heinrich Böll Foundation,

Three women are being honoured here in Berlin today. Before I say a few words about the situation in Belarus – your home country – I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to you all. You have earned this award for your PERSONAL dedication and commitment – and it is a great honour for me to be able to give the laudatory speech today.

This award ceremony is, without doubt, a good opportunity to look at the circumstances in Belarus. A country that has been somewhat overshadowed by the barbaric war of aggression that Russia is waging against Ukraine.

In view of the dramatically changing geopolitical reality – Donald Trump’s outrageous policy shift towards Russia – it is not just the developments in Ukraine that we must view with great concern. We also need to take a closer look at Russia’s neighbouring countries. 

I have been able to gain my own impressions of your country. It has been a while, but I was surprised at the time that it was very different from what I had expected. It was very European, civilised, progressive, feminist. And this despite the fact that Alexander Lukashenko had been governing with dictatorial powers for quite some time. It is an experience. Dictators do not develop positively over time. On the contrary, they become more repressive, more brutal and, if things take a turn for the very worst, even warmongers. Among the few positive descriptions attributable to the current situation is the following: Belarus has, thus far, largely been able to stay out of the war against Ukraine.

For the majority of people in Germany, Belarus was once unfamiliar territory. 

This changed abruptly with the protests against the rigged presidential elections in 2020, where we saw how brutally the democracy movement was suppressed. And how Putin supported the suppression of the protests.

Those casting an eye on the protest movement noticed one thing in particular: 

The protests were led by women! It was women who shaped this movement. They were virtually the antithesis of Lukashenko’s bizarre macho behaviour.

A ruler who claimed:  

Our Constitution is not suitable for a woman. Our society is not ready to vote for a woman. Because the Constitution gives strong authority to the president,

Or in relation to the presidency:

Look: This is not a female position. I am categorically against burdening a woman with this job, a woman cannot be a dictator. 

(This actually says a lot about his self-perception.)

Women have shaped the movement

In those days in August that followed the rigged 2020 election, it was women who protested and bravely stepped forward; who organised mass demonstrations in a civilised and disciplined manner; who stood up for their rights – and more besides: who smiled and handed out roses to the heavily masked and barricaded security forces, thus exposing the entire absurdity and perversion of the regime.

Originating from the female leadership trio in the election campaign – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronika Tsepkalo – a country seemed to empower itself and, above all, the women in society did not appear to allow themselves to be intimidated in the face of massive violence, the thousands of arrests, and the cases of torture and rape committed against women in the prisons.

At the time, we in the European Parliament always stood by these courageous women, expressed our solidarity, invited them to Parliament, fought for the imprisoned female activists and women, organised money and sponsorships for their relatives, but, in the end, we have had to concede that, despite all our efforts, we are not where we would like Belarus to be: in the free part of Europe. Nor have we been able to free the majority of women and female activists from their suffering – whether from being oppressed in the public space or from the shackles of the domestic environment.

Which makes it all the more important that, by recognising the laureates, we are giving three individuals from this group of courageous feminists the attention they so richly deserve for their many years – in some cases, their decades – of commitment, for their beliefs and convictions, and for their work in promoting women’s rights in their country.

I would therefore like to introduce you to each of our three laureates individually, who, whilst so different in terms of their activities, are nevertheless united in their goal of making huge strides for feminism and women’s rights in Belarus.

Irina Alkhovka 

Irina is – what we would refer to as – one of the bedrocks of the women’s movement in independent Belarus. She was quick to realise what she wanted and decided, aside from her academic career, to get involved in socio-political issues and provide practical help for women.

Irina’s biography is closely tied to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The fears and hardships that women faced in the successor states and as a result of the economic crises, hyperinflation and the millions of job losses have long been forgotten by many, but it is hard to underestimate what a time of hardship it was for women.

With a view to combating trafficking in women in particular, but also the power imbalance in the domestic environment, she joined La Strada Belarus in the late 1990s. This NGO offered practical assistance to women in need, having suffered domestic violence. Very shortly thereafter, Irina succeeded in getting Belarus’ criminal code amended to include the first clause of its kind opposing human trafficking. The first true fruit of her labour!

Later on, hotlines and emergency shelters were set up for victims of human trafficking; in 2012, she and her team were even able to establish a national helpline for survivors of domestic violence, where she was able to provide advice and practical help to thousands of abused women. 

All of this came to an abrupt end in the aftermath of the massive levels of state violence exerted in 2020/2021, when her organisation was also shut down. It was no longer possible for her to continue her work, and indeed so dangerous that she has been forced to live in exile ever since.

However, to any outsider looking in on Irina's work and life achievements to date, three major strands in her commitment can be identified:

- Her appreciation of all women and sisters of all ages. In her younger years especially, she expressed her high regard for her fellow women for all that they had already achieved in terms of gender equality and women’s rights in the Soviet Union.

- She was never satisfied with an idea, a concept or academic work relating to gender equality and equal opportunities. She wanted her work to make a difference for women who had experienced violence, for women in need.

- NGO work is only truly effective if it leads to actual changes in the law and improvements for women. That is why she has never shied away (not even under the very difficult political conditions in Belarus) from working constructively with the authorities to enhance women’s rights for the benefit of women.

For all of the above, she deserves a great debt of gratitude!

Julia Mickiewicz

Julia is a born and bred women’s rights activist; she has always had to fight for her convictions. Her parents, or rather, her mother were not natural allies for her causes. On the contrary, when Julia opted to study journalism, her mother was not convinced that this was the right career choice. But Julia did not allow anything to get in her way – instead seeing these minor obstacles in pursuit of her chosen career as additional motivation.

Once in Minsk, she felt a sense of belonging in the gay community as a straight woman. She considered herself very lucky to be accepted there: the atmosphere within the community was inclusive; they not only founded a joint organisation, but also stood up for the common cause – and with these experiences Julia drew closer to the ideas of feminism. 

Julia gained an insight into gender studies while studying for her Master’s – she was one of the first students on the Gender Studies Master’s programme at the European Humanities University.

Her next formative women's policy experience arose from being confronted with the reality of male-dominated journalism, having taken up her first job at the BelaPan news agency. It was her off-the-cuff remarks, her persistent pursuit of gender and LGBTQ+ issues, coupled with her clear stance, that nevertheless allowed her to get ahead in this masculine environment.

In contrast, her foray into politics, during which she devoted a great deal of her time heading the youth organisation of a party in Belarus over a number of years, was much harsher and more misogynistic. But her fight for quotas and gender equality was to pay off. She succeeded in pushing through a 40-percent quota for women for the elections of the Coordination Council working in exile (i.e. the body founded by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as an alternative to the state structures in Belarus in the event of a change of power).

As I personally know many members of the Coordination Council well and value what they have done, I can only express my utmost respect. A great deal of persuasion was no doubt required here. Because, even though the individuals concerned are considered the “liberal minds” from Belarus, this does not automatically convert into an enthusiasm for feminist ideals and gender equality! 

By accepting a deputy post in the interim cabinet of the so-called government-in-exile, Julia demonstrated that she understands that politics cannot only be shaped behind the scenes. She realised that, if she is not herself prepared to get involved in politics and take on responsibility, others will not fight for her issues and her convictions. She has to do it herself! That’s how I recognise passionate politicians.

That she is fully invested in her work and deeds comes out very clearly in her response as to whether she believes her receiving the Anne Klein Women's Award is merited. Her simple answer is not “yes”, but rather: “I will still be fighting and campaigning for women, feminism and our movement when I’m 90 years old and then some (in other words, “always").

For her, feminism, women's rights, equality, but also happiness are not just some phase in her life; rather, it IS her life – and, yes, that is why it is more than justified that she is being honoured today as one of the laureates!

Darya Afanasyeva 

Darya, who is known to her friends as Dafna, actually has two lives: one before her imprisonment and one after her release. Her two and a half years in prison completely turned her former life on its head. Nothing is as it was. 

The reason for her conviction in 2020 is as simple as it is sad: she was prosecuted for feminist activism, various "episodes", photographing banners, liking comments, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which caused her case to fall under one of the arbitrary "extremism" clauses of Lukashenko's regime. 

How insecure and fearful must a government be when it bullies young women – like Dafna – for making women aware of their rights, for curating women's literature, for educating other women in the history of feminism, for writing blogs and for being part of the feminist movement. Anyone who deprives these young women, like Dafna, of their life and spirit, who tries to break them in prison by prohibiting and sanctioning everything that has made up their lives so far, does not embody a strong state, but a very weak one.

Dafna was exactly what we want: an active member of civil society, a young, progressive, feminist woman, inspired by the idea of passing on as much of her knowledge, spirit and strength as possible to other women and sisters.

More than anything else, however, it was this strength that was taken from her through her martyrdom in the prison camp. There, empathy and love play a less important role than toughness and perseverance. The women were and are deprived of their dignity; love and friendships are not allowed. 

At the same time, she is still in contact with many of her fellow prisoners, who share this formative time. Especially with those who, after years of enduring domestic violence, resort to radical methods and, in their distress, know no other way to help themselves than to fight back. In Belarus, however, it is not the violent male partner who is prosecuted and then sent to prison, but the woman who resorted to self-defence. Dafna was repeatedly confronted with these blatant, misogynistic injustices in the prison camps.

After all these ordeals, Dafna was released two and a half years into her sentence. She had hoped for a life of freedom where she could live, love, work and blog again. But then things turned out very differently. Freedom did not come automatically after her release. Dafna suffers from post-traumatic stress; she continues to feel fatigued from her imprisonment, when there was no warmth, no support and even less understanding for her lesbianism. Even ten months down the road, she is still in need of emotional healing.

What she didn't lose and what no one could take away from her despite all the harassment was her sense of humour. Whether in the Belarusian GULAG or after her release, she was able to make the prison girls (as they were known) laugh with her very peculiar type of humour (feminist stand-up comedy). 

But the changes that prison brought about still remain for the time being. Dafna’s energy level has abated; her batteries can't be recharged so easily; the life she used to lead (going to clubs and parties) has to take a backseat for now. But I am sure that, through her will and her experience, such a wonderful political woman as Dafna will manage to inspire and enrich the feminist movement, women, queer people and other members of the community. I wish her that with all my heart!

I hope that I have given you all a brief insight into the different lives of our three great laureates. It was an honour for me to meet them and I sincerely hope that this award will help them in their work and in their fight for women's rights in Belarus.

» Speech in Belarusian (PDF)