{"id":182675,"date":"2026-04-07T21:33:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/182675\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T21:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:33:41","slug":"maduros-arrest-came-as-major-blow-to-lukasenka-cichanouskaja-says","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/182675\/","title":{"rendered":"Maduro\u2019s arrest came as major blow to \u0141uka\u0161enka, Cichano\u016dskaja says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 7, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>The fate of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is a reminder that \u201cno dictatorship lasts forever,\u201d and his arrest by the US military came as a \u201cserious blow\u201d to Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, Belarusian opposition leader Sviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja said in a video message at a conference in Prague, the Czech Republic, on April 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event, titled \u201cBreaking the Dictators’ Cycle in Minsk and Caracas: Female Leadership and the USA Commitment,\u201d was hosted by Anglo-American University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Cichano\u016dskaja, \u0141uka\u0161enka realizes that he may share Maduro\u2019 fate. All dictatorships \u201ccollapse when no one is expecting this,\u201d she said. \u201cWe often don\u2019t know how and when this will happen, but we should be ready and should be bringing this moment closer. Yes, dictatorships are also developing and adapting. They are learning from each other \u2013 just like [former Venezuelan President Hugo] Chavez and Maduro were learning from \u0141uka\u0161enka and visa versa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cichano\u016dskaja said that \u201cpro-democracy movements\u201d should also teach and support each in their fight against \u201cdictators.\u201d  She held up Ukraine\u2019s commitment to fight for freedom and democracy and stressed the need for cooperation between Belarusian pro-democracy forces and the Venezuelan opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cichano\u016dskaja noted the need for \u201cmore women in politics\u201d and described Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as one of her \u201cpersonal heroines.\u201d She drew parallels between women\u2019s contribution to protests against dictatorship in Belarus and Venezuela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicolas Maduro became president of Venezuela in 2013. Democratic countries imposed sanctions on Venezuelan entities and individuals associated with his government, citing arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings allegedly used to suppress political dissent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a series of strikes targeting Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife. The move followed months of mounting pressure from Washington, a US military buildup in the Caribbean and strikes on small Venezuelan vessels accused of shipping drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 8, in his first public comments on the capture of Maduro, \u0141uka\u0161enka described the US operation as a disgrace, insisting that a similar scenario would be unrealistic in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you remember the Security Council meeting last year, at which we assigned roles in case \u2018there is no president\u2019? Listen, we must have foresight . . . Even if it happens, we have everything arranged for this case,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Coale, the US envoy to Belarus, speaking at a conference at the US Capitol late last month, said that he had warned \u0141uka\u0161enka to radically change his behavior if he wanted to be accepted by world leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to developments in Venezuela and Iran, Coale said he told \u0141uka\u0161enka in early March: \u201cLook, you are the only one left at the bad guys\u2019 table, so you\u2019d better watch out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I really think what we did in Venezuela and what we\u2019ve been doing in Iran scared the hell out of him,\u201d the US diplomat added, commenting on that conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coale added that \u0141uka\u0161enka still has a long way to go before moving closer to the \u201cgood guys\u2019 table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he had told the Belarusian leader directly that he was at the \u201closers\u2019 table\u201d alongside Cuba, Iran and Venezuela. \u201c[Russian President Vladimir] Vladimir Putin is not there [at the losers\u2019 table] because he is not even invited to school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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