Whitehall Group Recording Link – on-line Discussion Franak Viačorka ‘How can the West respond to Lukashenko’s dictatorship?’
We were delighted that Franak Viačorka, leading Belarusian opposition politician and journalist joined the Whitehall Group as guest speaker on Thursday, 29th July at 2.30pm to discuss what is happening in Belarus and what policy approaches the UK and Europe should take – ‘How can the West respond to Lukashenko’s dictatorship?’
To hear a recording of the talk please click on the link below:
Franak Viačorka a leading Belarusian opposition politician and journalist, is Senior Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and a journalist from Belarus. He previously worked as a research media analyst for the US Agency for Global Media as a contractor focusing on Eurasia’s digital markets. His research focused on Russian and Chinese efforts to control the global media
space, spread disinformation, and build the sovereign internet infrastructure. He has served as a
creative director for the Belarus service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), vice
president for the Digital Communication Network, consultant for Freedom House, and the
Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Viačorka is a frequent speaker and advocate for democracy and personal freedom. For his
activism and journalism work in Belarus, he was jailed multiple times by the Belarusian
government. Viačorka’s activism in Belarus has been chronicled by documentary filmmakers and
recognized by many international organizations, including the National Endowment for
Democracy, Freedom House, and Open Society Foundations. He was the first Václav Havel
Fellow at RFE/RL under Havel’s personal recommendation.
He graduated with an MA from American University in Washington DC and a BA from Warsaw
University in Poland. He also studied at Belarus State University, Georgetown University, and
European Humanities University