15
April 2024
Past Event
The Struggle for Freedom in Belarus with Andrei Sannikov

The Struggle for Freedom in Belarus with Andrei Sannikov

Past Event
Hudson Institute
April 15, 2024
Belarusian presidential candidates Andrei Sannikov speaks to journalists after voting in Minsk, Belarus, on December 19, 2010. (Photo by Maksim Malinouski/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
Then Belarusian presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov speaks to journalists after voting in Minsk, Belarus, on December 19, 2010. (Photo by Maksim Malinouski/AFP via Getty Images)
15
April 2024
Past Event

Event will also air live on this page.

 

Inquiries: [email protected]

Speakers:
Andrei Sannikov
Andrei Sannikov

Belarus Opposition Leader

Peter Rough Hudson Institute
Peter Rough

Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia

tod_lindberg
Tod Lindberg

Senior Fellow

Listen to Event Audio

Although Belarus gained independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union broke up, it has been the crown jewel of Russia’s sphere of influence for three decades since. Domestically, Belarus remains firmly in the grip of its authoritarian ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, who has maintained power since 1994 through brutal repression and a series of unfree and unfair elections.

Nevertheless, Belarusian civil society has a strong identity and a tradition of peaceful protest in support of freedom and democracy. In 1995, Andrei Sannikov resigned in protest from his position as deputy foreign minister of Belarus after Lukashenko put forward a referendum that would pave the way for the strongman’s consolidation of power. Sannikov has fought for Belarus’s freedom ever since. In 2005, he won the Bruno Kreisky Prize for Service to Human Rights. In 2010, Sannikov ran for president in a sham election in which Lukashenko claimed to have won more than 80 percent of the vote. In the aftermath, Sannikov led a peaceful demonstration in Minsk’s main square. Riot police attacked, badly injuring Sannikov. He was subsequently arrested, imprisoned, and tortured. Under international pressure, the Lukashenko regime released the opposition leader in April 2012. Threatened with rearrest, Sannikov left Belarus and received political asylum in the United Kingdom.

At Hudson, Sannikov will offer remarks on Belarus’s strategic importance, Russia’s regional ambitions, and prospects for political change in Minsk, followed by a question-and-answer session with Hudson Senior Fellow Tod Lindberg.

Agenda

2:30 p.m. | Welcome and Introduction

  • Peter Rough, Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia, Hudson Institute

2:35 p.m. | Remarks

  • Andrei Sannikov, Belarusian Opposition Leader

2:50 p.m. | Conversation

  • Andrei Sannikov, Belarusian Opposition Leader
  • Tod Lindberg, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

3:05 | Audience Q&A

Related Events
07
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Understanding China’s Political and Institutional Foundations: A Conversation with Chenggang Xu
Featured Speakers:
Professor Chenggang Xu
Getty Images
07
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Understanding China’s Political and Institutional Foundations: A Conversation with Chenggang Xu

Join Dr. Miles Yu, senior fellow and director of Hudson’s China Center, for a conversation with Professor Xu on why misunderstanding China’s political order may create critical strategic risks for the US amid intensifying geopolitical rivalry.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Professor Chenggang Xu
08
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Relearning Great Power Diplomacy: A Conversation with Wess Mitchell
Featured Speakers:
Wess Mitchell
A detail photo of “A Peace Conference at the Quai d'Orsay” by William Orpen. (Wikimedia Commons)
08
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Relearning Great Power Diplomacy: A Conversation with Wess Mitchell

Join Hudson’s Peter Rough for a discussion with Wess Mitchell on the future of great power diplomacy.

A detail photo of “A Peace Conference at the Quai d'Orsay” by William Orpen. (Wikimedia Commons)
Featured Speakers:
Wess Mitchell
15
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Vanguard of Manufacturing: Fortifying US National Security
Featured Speakers:
John Maslin
Austin Grey
Hon. Peter J. F. Meijer
Patrick Hunt
Julius Krein
Moderator:
Getty Images
15
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Vanguard of Manufacturing: Fortifying US National Security

Join Hudson Institute for a conference on the future of America’s industrial base.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
John Maslin
Austin Grey
Hon. Peter J. F. Meijer
Patrick Hunt
Julius Krein
Moderator:
16
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
CCP Committee Chairman John Moolenaar on the State of US-China Relations
Featured Speakers:
Congressman John Moolenaar
Getty Images
16
October 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
CCP Committee Chairman John Moolenaar on the State of US-China Relations

Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, will join Hudson Senior Fellow David Feith to discuss how Washington should approach the US-China relationship in an era of rising geopolitical competition.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Congressman John Moolenaar