E01 Vytis Jurkonis - Human rights defender for dissidents from Belarus and Russia

Vytis Jurkonis is a Lithuanian human rights defender and the go-to-guy for dissidents who need to flee Belarus and Russia. In this pilot episode of Escalation, Gabrielius Landsbergis talks to Vytis about how Lithuania became a haven for dissidents, and how we could achieve the goal of Belarus and Russia becoming free, peaceful and democratic countries. 00:00 Introduction 02:17 Lithuania as a Place of Refuge 05:00 The Process of Seeking Refuge in Lithuania 07:39 Understanding the Belarusian Regime 09:52 Negotiating with Authoritarian Leaders 12:37 Lithuania's Role in Supporting Dissidents 15:01 Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya and Lithuania 16:54 Lithuania's Historical Support for Freedom 20:58 Solidarity with Freedom Movements in Eastern Europe 23:30 Understanding Russia's Opposition and Dissidents 29:00 The Role of Independent Media in Russia 32:12 The Complexity of Russian Identity and Guilt 38:53 The Path to a Democratic Russia Join the mailing list: ⁠⁠landsbergis.com⁠ Follow Gabrielius Landsbergis on X and Bluesky: @GLandsbergis