The Havighurst Center welcomes Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus opposition leader, to deliver the annual Havighurst Lecture.

Tsikhanouskaya became the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement in 2020 and challenged the authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko in the presidential election held that year. When Lukashenko declared victory after widespread voter fraud, Tsikhanouskaya became the face of the protests that swept the country, the largest since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. She was forced into exile and now lives in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she heads the United Transition Cabinet, the decision-making unit for the democratic forces of Belarus.

Tsikhanouskaya has visited numerous countries, met with heads of states and other world leaders, and advocated for the release of political prisoners still held in Belarusian jails. For her efforts, she has received the Sakharov Prize awarded by the European Parliament, the 2022 International Four Freedoms Award, and the Charlemagne Prize. In 2021 and 2022, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Members of the Norwegian Parliament respectively.

Tsikhanouskaya's visit is co-sponsored by the Menard Family Center for Democracy.