Iryna Krasouskaya: I Hope We Will Live In Free Belarus Soon

The head of "We Remember" foundation was awarded with the Medal of the Belarusian People's Republic.

Iryna Krasouskaya, the widow of a businessman and public figure kidnapped in Belarus, said during her speech at the award ceremony in Washington:

- It is a big honor to be here today and get this medal. I became a freedom fighter accidentally and I know exact day: September 16, 1999. I started to fight for my husband, for my family, for myself – and then I understood that nothing will change until we have Free and Democratic Belarus so I started to fight for Belarus.

But this medal it not medals only for me. It is an award to all people who are and were with me all those years.

- It is a medal for those, who died trying to create new Belarus - Victar Hanchar, Anatol Krasousky, Dzmitry Zavadski, Yury Zakharanka.

- It is medal for my family which is always my best support.

- It is also for Svyatlana Zavadskaya, Volga Zavadskaya, Tatiana Klimava, Ludmila Karpenka with whom we knocked in every possible door in the world trying to find the truth and justice.

- It is for my friends in Charter97.org.

- It is for Belarus Free Theater.

- It is for all our supporters inside and outside Belarus.

- It is for all my friends here in US who made my medal possible.

- And of course, it is for Bruce Jackson who has been with me all these years (not easy).

This medal was unexpectable for me but I am very happy to have it. But also, I feel more obligation to do more for democracy in Belarus. And I am sure that one day we will be in Free and Democratic Belarus. Hope it will be soon.