Stefan Eriksson (diplomat)

Last updated
Stefan Eriksson
Personal details
Born18 March 1962 (1962-03-18) (age 61)
Västerås, Sweden
Education Stockholm School of Economics
AwardsMark Palmer Prize
Ribbon-BNR 100 Jubilee Medal.png Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal (2018)
Cross of Good Neighbourhood (2023)

Stefan Eriksson (born 18 March 1962) is a Swedish diplomat, who was Ambassador of Sweden to Belarus in the period from 2008 to 2012. Prior to this, he served as the head of the Belarusian department of the Swedish Embassy in Moscow. In addition to his native Swedish language, he speaks English, French, German, Russian, and Belarusian. Eriksson is married and has three children. [1]

In his role as the Ambassador, he showed solidarity with marginalized communities fighting for democracy in Belarus. [2] In 2012, the Belarusian government expelled Eriksson from the country over his efforts in advocating democracy. [3] In 2013 he was awarded the Mark Palmer Prize for his involvement in Belarus, [4] and in 2019 - the Belarusian Democratic Republic Centenary Medal. [5] In 2023 Eriksson received the Cross of Good Neighbourhood from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The distinction is awarded by the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet to outstanding individuals who have significantly helped the cause of Belarusians. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarusian State University</span> University in Minsk, Belarus

Belarusian State University (BSU) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It was founded on October 30, 1921. In 2021 it was ranked the number 1,201 university in the world in the THE World University Rankings by Times Higher Education, number 1,606 by Nature Index - Top Academic Institutions, and number 1,784 in the URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luninets District</span> District of Brest Region, Belarus

Luninets District is a district (raion) of Brest Region in Belarus. Its administrative center is Luninets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paval Sieviaryniec</span> Belarusian journalist, youth leader, and pro-democracy activist

Paval Sieviaryniec is a Belarusian journalist and Christian democratic politician and youth leader and one of the founders of the Young Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarusian Christian Democracy</span> Belarusian political party

The Belarusian Christian Democracy is a Christian-democratic political party in Belarus, established in 2005, which claims to be the continuation of a identically named movement, which existed at the beginning of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franak Viačorka</span> Belarusian politician (born 1988)

Francišak Valancinavič (Franak) Viačorka (Viacorka) is a politician and journalist from Belarus, President of the Digital Communication Network and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ales Bialiatski</span> Belarusian pro-democracy activist (born 1962)

Ales Viktaravich Bialiatski is a Belarusian pro-democracy activist and prisoner of conscience known for his work with the Viasna Human Rights Centre. An activist for Belarusian independence and democracy since the early 1980s, Bialiatski is a founding member of Viasna and the Belarusian Popular Front, serving as leader of the latter from 1996 to 1999. He is also a member of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition. He has been called "a pillar of the human rights movement in Eastern Europe" by The New York Times, and recognised as a prominent pro-democracy activist in Belarus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alhierd Baharevich</span> Belarusian writer and translator (born 1975)

Alhierd Bacharevič is a Belarusian writer and translator . In 1997 he graduated from the Philological Faculty of the Belarusian Pedagogical University in Minsk. Afterward, Bacharevič worked as a teacher of Belarusian and then as a journalist. His first texts were published in 1993. In the 1990s, he was one of the founders of the Belarusian literary and artistic avantgarde group Bum-Bam-Lit. In 1998, this group published the now cult anthology of their poetry, namely, Tazik biełaruski. At that time Bacharevič married Ksienija Brečka. They have one daughter, Uljana (Ульяна). Between 2007 and 2013, Bacharevič lived in Hamburg, Germany. In 2013, he returned to Minsk and married the Belarusian translator and poet, Julia Cimafiejeva. They lived in the Belarusian capital and cooperated in the field of Belarusian literature and culture, until the Belarusian White Revolution of Dignity in 2020–2021. Subsequently, in order to avoid arbitrary imprisonment and torture, the couple of authors chose emigration and left for Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic</span> Belarusian government-in-exile

The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has been in exile where it has preserved its existence among the Belarusian diaspora as an advocacy group promoting support to Belarusian independence and democracy in Belarus among Western policymakers. As of 2023, the Rada BNR is the oldest existing government in exile.

<i>Viva Belarus!</i> 2012 Polish film

Viva Belarus! is a 2012 Polish drama film directed by Krzysztof Łukaszewicz about Belarusian Youth and its struggle for democracy. Based on a true story of Franak Viačorka, activist of the Belarusian opposition, co-author of the screenplay for the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uładzimir Arłou</span> Belarusian writer and politician

Uładzimir Arłou, known as U. A. Arlou is a Belarusian historian, writer, politician, and poet. He is chairman of the Belarusian PEN International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Luckievich</span> Belarusian politician

Anton Ivanavič Luckievič was a leading figure of the Belarusian independence movement in the early 20th century, an initiator of the proclamation of the independence of Belarus, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Belarusian Democratic Republic persecuted by the Soviet authorities. He was a brother of Ivan Luckievič.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internal Troops of Belarus</span> Military unit

The Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a Internal Troops - paramilitary law enforcement force in the Republic of Belarus under the national Ministry of Internal Affairs. All personnel are trained in the Internal Troops College of the Military Academy of Belarus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2021 Belarusian protests</span> 2020–2021 protests against the re-election of Alexander Lukashenko

The 2020–2021 Belarusian protests were a series of mass political demonstrations and protests against the Belarusian government and President Alexander Lukashenko. The largest anti-government protests in the history of Belarus, the demonstrations began in the lead-up to and during the 2020 presidential election, in which Lukashenko sought his sixth term in office. In response to the demonstrations, a number of relatively small pro-government rallies were held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya</span> Belarusian political activist (born 1982)

Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya is a Belarusian political activist. She stood for election in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election as the main opposition candidate after her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, the previous candidate, was arrested in Grodno by Belarusian authorities. Since August 2020, she has conducted her opposition activity in exile from Poland then Lithuania. Tsikhanouskaya is wanted by the state of Belarus for conspiracy to seize state power, the creation of an extremist formation, and public calls for the seizure of power, and in March 2023 was sentenced in-absentia to a 15-year prison sentence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coordination Council (Belarus)</span> Belarusian self-proclaimed parliament in exile

The Coordination Council for the Transfer of Power is a non-governmental body created by presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to facilitate a democratic transfer of power in Belarus. The Council, founded during the 2020 Belarusian protests in response to the disputed 2020 Belarusian presidential election, has 64 core members with a 7-member leadership presidium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Baginskaya</span> Belarusian opposition activist

Nina Baginskaya is a Belarusian human rights activist, public figure, and geologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarusian involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span>

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has supported its eastern neighbour in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Before the start of the offensive, Belarus allowed the Russian Armed Forces to perform weeks-long military drills on its territory; however, the Russian troops did not exit the country after they were supposed to finish. Belarus allowed Russia to stage part of the invasion from its territory, giving Russia the shortest possible land route to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. However, these forces withdrew within two months, thus ceasing land-based military operations originating from Belarus and resulting in the recapture of the Ukrainian side of the border region by Ukraine. Despite this, the situation along the border remains tense, with Ukraine closing the border checkpoints leading into Belarus, bar special cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment</span> Military unit

The Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment is a group of Belarusian opposition volunteers, which was formed to defend Ukraine against the 2022 Russian invasion.

Events of the year 2022 in Belarus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Transitional Cabinet</span> Belarusian government in exile

The United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus is an alternative government for Belarus that was formed in August 2022.

References

  1. "Стэфан Эрыксан". Радыё Свабода (in Belarusian). Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  2. "Amb. Stefan Eriksson awarded with The Mark Palmer Prize". European Endowment for Democracy.
  3. "Belarus expels Sweden's ambassador". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  4. "Swedish Ambassador Stefan Eriksson commended for | SwedenAbroad". www.swedenabroad.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  5. Свабода, Радыё (17 July 2019). "Вэтэрану беларускага супраціву Антону Фурсу ўручылі мэдаль у гонар 100-годзьдзя БНР". Радыё Свабода (in Belarusian). Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  6. "Святлана Ціханоўская ўзнагародзіла прэзідэнтку Еўрапарламента Крыжам добрасуседства / Афіцыйны сайт Святланы Ціханоўскай". tsikhanouskaya.org (in Belarusian). 2023-08-13. Retrieved 2023-09-15.