US Under Secretary meets with reps of opposition Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation
On January 19, Uzra Zeya, US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, met with six Belarusian Olympians and National Athletes representing the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF).
The group included Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian Olympian whom Belarusian authorities attempted to forcibly repatriate from the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer after she criticized the Belarusian National Olympic Committee on social media.
“During the meeting, Under Secretary Zeya conveyed her admiration for the courage of Belarusian athletes who have faced reprisals for exercising their right to freedom of expression. She reiterated strong US support for the Belarusian people’s democratic aspirations and commitment to promoting accountability for perpetrators of abuses against Belarusians in the country and abroad,” the statement reads.
The participants of the meeting agreed to develop a set of tools that could be of help for help Belarusian athletes (scholarships, internships, training), as well as measures to support the foundation’s media activities. The further details of the cooperation plans have not been reported. According BSSF director Alyaksandr Apeykin, it is too early to show all the cards, because the collaborative work has begun only recently.
