How to be fearless in the face of authoritarianism | Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

翻译人员: dumpling king 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

On August 12, 2020,

2020 年 8 月 12 日，

two groups of girls went out to protest in Minsk,

两批女孩在白俄罗斯首都

the capital city of Belarus.

明斯克上街抗议。

They put on white clothes

她们身穿白色衣服，

and went barefoot out into the street.

赤脚走到街上。

In the morning,

早上，

some went to Komarovskiy Market in the center of town.

一部分人去了市中心的 科马罗夫斯基市场。

Later that day,

随后，

the other group gathered with flowers

另一批人捧着鲜花

at the eternal flame under the victory monument.

聚集在胜利纪念碑下的永恒火焰前。

They stood together holding hands,

她们手拉手站在一起

and they started to sing the Belarusian lullaby,

开始唱着白俄罗斯摇篮曲，

waiting for the police cars to arrive.

等待着警察的到来。

They knew the police would pick them up just like that:

她们知道自己会遭到警察逮捕：

barefoot with flowers in their hands,

光着脚，手里拿着鲜花，

that they would take them to the police station,

警察会把她们带到警局，

beat them up and try to humiliate them.

痛打并试图羞辱她们，

And yet they did it anyway.

但她们还是这样做了。

This year, something changed in Belarus,

今年，白俄罗斯发生了一些变化，

a country of more than nine million people

这是一个人口超过九百万的国家，

that has been ruled by an authoritarian leader since 1994.

自 1994 年以来，一直由独裁者所统治。

These young women were protesting the latest rigged election result,

而这些年轻女性正在抗议 最近的选举结果受到了操纵，

which had taken [place] just a few days earlier.

此事就发生在几天前。

Their small expressions of protest very quickly expanded

她们小规模的抗议很快就演变成

into massive, peaceful, women-led demonstrations

由女性领导的大规模和平示威游行

all across the country.

席卷了全国。

Within just a few days,

在短短几天内，

a few hundred thousand people took to the streets

成百上千民众走上街头抗议，

and demonstrations have continued ever since,

示威活动一直持续至今，

the likes of which Belarus has never seen before.

白俄罗斯从未出现过这样的情况。

All this despite the fact

尽管，

that the president proclaimed himself reelected

总统宣布自己连任，

and that more than 10,000 people have been detained,

超过一万人被拘留，

hundreds tortured

数以百计的人受到折磨，

and at least six killed.

而且至少六人被杀害。

Many people wonder why the people of Belarus are speaking up now.

许多人想知道为什么 白俄罗斯人现在要发声，

What makes them keep taking to the streets

是什么促使他们不断走上街头

despite unprecedented police violence,

尽管警察动用了史无前例的暴力，

despite state lawlessness?

尽管政府已无法无天？

The answer I hear the most

我听到最多的答案

is that people have become fearless,

是人们变得无所畏惧，

and it's something we have become together.

我们如今站在了一起。

Because fear is the province of one.

因为恐惧只与个人有关，

It feeds on isolation.

它产生于孤立。

It doesn't discriminate:

它会不区分：

men, women, children, elderly --

男女老少——

all of us can feel fear,

所有人都可以感受到恐惧，

but only as long as we are on our own.

但只有当我们孤身一人时才切身体会。

Fearlessness takes two.

而想要无所畏惧需要两个人，

It only works if and when we show up for each other.

只有当我们为对方 挺身而出时，它才会显现。

Show up so that your neighbor,

挺身而出，这样你的邻居、

your colleague, your friend has courage.

同事、朋友才有勇气，

And they will do the same for you.

也才愿意对你做相同的事。

A lot has been made of my own role in the presidential election

在 2020 年 8 月总统大选期间，

of August 2020.

我做了很多事情。

How I stepped in to run for my husband, Sergei, when he was jailed

当我的丈夫谢尔盖被捕入狱时， 我是如何介入竞选的，

and it became clear that the authorities would deny him his chance to run himself;

而且很明显当局试图否认他的参选机会；

how I rightfully won the election

以及我是如何赢得选举，

and became the elected leader of a democratic Belarus,

并成为民主白俄罗斯的当选领导人，

but the official results only gave me 10 percent of the vote

但官方只统计了我 10% 的选票，

and I was forced into exile with my children;

我和我的孩子们被迫流亡海外；

how I still fight for those who voted for me

我仍然在为那些投票给我的人而战，

and whose voice the regime wants to steal;

而这些人的声音是政权想要窃取的；

how "fearless" I am.

我是多么的 “无所畏惧” 。

But there were many moments when I was frightened,

但有很多时候我都很害怕，

and I wanted to step down.

而且我想要退出。

I was threatened

我受到威胁，

and forced to believe that I'm alone in this fight.

并被迫相信，我是一个人在战斗。

And yet the more cities I visited,

然而，我去的城市越多，

the more people showed up for the rallies,

参加集会的人就越多，

the less fear I had.

我的恐惧就越少。

And then in the days before the election in Minsk,

在明斯克选举前的那几天

60,000 people came to show their support for me,

有六万人赶来支持我，

and I was no longer afraid.

而我不再恐惧了。

I never wanted to do any of this.

我从没想过要做这些，

I was never overly political,

我从想过多介入政治，

and I never planned to run for office.

并且我从未打算竞选公职，

I wanted to be a mom and a wife.

我只想做一名母亲和妻子。

But by fate and the will of my people,

但由于命运和人民的意愿，

I was elevated to this position.

我被提拔到这个位置。

And I accept this with a sense of duty and pride.

而我也带着责任感和自豪感接受了这一切，

I will not give up.

我不会放弃。

And I will show up for people, because they show up for me.

我会为人民挺身而出， 因为他们为我挺身而出。

Our courage is born from unity.

我们的勇气来自团结，

Our solidarity is our strength.

团结就是我们的力量。

I also now understand that being fearless is a commitment.

我现在也明白了， 无所畏惧是一种承诺。

It is a decision you make every single day.

是一个你每天都要做的决定。

It is a responsibility you take --

是一个你要承担的责任——

responsibility for one another.

对彼此的责任。

In this regard, I'm no different from my fellow Belarusians.

在这方面，我和我的白俄罗斯 同胞们没有什么不同。

Their support is tangible.

他们的支持是切实可见的，

Their solidarity grows in progression.

他们的团结是在进步中成长的。

When there are two of you,

当你有两个人的时候，

you are daring.

你会有胆量。

When you're 100, you are brave.

当你有一百人的时候 ，你会有勇气。

When there are thousands of you,

当你有上千人的时候，

you are fearless.

你会无所畏惧。

And once you are tens of thousands,

而一旦你有了数万人追随，

you become invincible.

你将不可战胜。

Thank you.

谢谢。