SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA

Trustees Award | Winner | Freedom of Expression Awards

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been named as the winner of the Trustees Award in Index on Censorship’s 2025 Freedom of Expression Awards. 

Tsikhanouskaya has dedicated her life to campaigning for democracy and freedom of all political prisoners in Belarus, currently based in exile for her own security. Ahead of the stolen 2020 presidential election, Mrs Tsikhanouskaya stepped in as a presidential candidate after her husband was arrested and imprisoned. She has tirelessly campaigned for the return of Belarusian democracy and advocated for the hundreds of political prisoners held in Lukashenka’s prisons.  

Meet the 2025 Freedom of Expression Awards winners