Every Belarusian man and woman who fights for freedom in Belarus has the right to consider this museum their own

Theses of the speech by the Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Pavel Latushka, at the opening of the exhibition "Fragments", an event marking the third anniversary of the Free Belarus Museum

Dear friends, Ms. Jetske Klein, Dear Belarusians, Our Polish and European partners,

Representatives of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,Representatives of the Embassy of Canada, Director of the National Centre for Culture, Heads and representatives of Polish institutions, Mr. Maciej Radziwiłł,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you today to the space of the Free Belarus Museum—a project of the National Anti-Crisis Management.

What began as an idea has, in just three years, become an institution with a clear mission and a distinct role in society. The Free Belarus Museum preserves and exhibits what often remains invisible yet is vitally important to Belarusians: personal belongings, documents, artistic gestures, materials from the streets, from demonstrations and marches, from prisons, and from the daily life of Belarusians since 2020. It tells the stories of heroes — political prisoners and of Belarusian heroes defending European security in Ukraine.

The museum has become a place where the largest movement of Belarusians for freedom in modern history is not only documented—it continues to live. It is a space that unites Belarusians in exile and carries the truth about Belarus to Europe and to the entire world.

To preserve this history today is not a right, but a duty—to the people and to their future.

The work of the Museum refutes a widespread but mistaken notion—that Belarusians lack the character or the will to fight for freedom. Our history proves otherwise—a shared history that is part of the European heritage: from the times of the Principality of Polotsk, through the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Belarusian People’s Republic, both World Wars, the struggles for an independent Republic of Belarus, and today’s fight for its liberation.

The Museum of Free Belarus ensures that we do not forget the sacrifices that have been made, and reminds us all: as long as memory lives, Belarus lives. Belarus lives and continues to fight.

In my life, I have had the opportunity to open several museums: the Nesvizh Palace complex (the former residence of the Radziwiłł family), Mir Castle, the National Centre for Contemporary Art, and I have fought for the creation of the Vasyl Bykau Museum near Minsk, among many others. But this museum—Free Belarus Museum—holds a special significance for me, as someone who is both a witness to and a participant in these events.

Every Belarusian man and woman who fights for freedom in Belarus has the right to consider this museum their own.

We are deeply grateful to the City of Warsaw for supporting this project, as well as for providing the space where the museum was created and continues to develop.

We also extend our thanks to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Poland. Without your assistance, this museum and its mission would not have been possible.

We also express our personal gratitude to the patron and great friend of the Museum, Mr. Maciej Radziwiłł, and his ‘Three Trumpets’ Foundation for many years of support not only to this institution but to Belarusian culture as a whole.

Together, we preserve memory. Together, we fight for freedom. And together, we will prevail. Long live Belarus!

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