Hello, my name is Volha Zazulinskaya. I am the director of the charity fund “Country for Life”. Our foundation was created in 2020 as a response to the repression following the presidential elections. Our main focus is the families of political prisoners, especially those with minor children.
I would also like to point out that one of our foundation’s founders, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, is a political prisoner who was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison by Lukashenka’s regime. Since 2020, he has been in solitary confinement for over 1,500 days, more than 500 of which have been in incommunicado mode. During this time, he has been denied access to a lawyer, food transfers, medical parcels, and correspondence with relatives and children.
As of today, human rights defenders in the country have identified at least 279 families with minor children where one or both parents are imprisoned. In total, at least 515 children do not have the opportunity to fall asleep at night next to their mother or father, listen to stories, and spend free time together. Unfortunately, no one can return these moments to them. Political prisoners are those who are paying the highest price today for a future free Belarus.
Almost four years have passed since the events of August 2020, when ordinary Belarusians took to the streets across the country to tell the dictator that they did not elect him. Many political prisoners have already been released after serving their sentences, and they are in great need of our help. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient funds to meet all the needs for the medical rehabilitation of those who have experienced imprisonment. On average, to rehabilitate 300 people, we need 1.2 million euros. In total, almost 2,000 prisoners have already been released, and these are far from all the needs we must address. After serving their terms in prisons and correctional facilities, people are forced to leave the country, and they need help settling in their new locations.
The Humanitarian Ambulance Service, which includes four of the largest organizations helping political prisoners, has managed to raise just under 300,000 euros. To address issues related to treatment and to help the families whose relatives are still imprisoned, an International Humanitarian Fund was established. This initiative was led by the
elected leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya with the support of the Norwegian Fund. We call on all partners to join this initiative and help us, if not with money, then with your experience and by finding the means to treat former political prisoners in the United States.
A humanitarian list was created by a number of human rights organizations. This list includes political prisoners who are in very vulnerable conditions due to their health status. It contains the names of 239 people, those for whom even today could be their last day of life. We are striving to convey to the international community the need to make efforts to free these people from prison.
Seven people are in incommunicado detention. Besides Siarhei Tsikhanouski, they include Maryia Kalesnikava, Ihar Losik (journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), Mikalai Statkevich (recognized as a political prisoner four times and a prisoner of conscience three times), Maksim Znak (prominent lawyer), Viktar Babaryka (presidential candidate), and Uladzimir Kniha (volunteer for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign and member of Siarhei Tsikhanouski’s “Country for Life” team).
In Belarusian prisons, 21 Ukrainians are detained solely for their citizenship. Nineteen people who stopped the movement of Russian weapons across Belarus have been sentenced to a total of more than 200 years in prison and have undergone horrific torture. For expressing an anti-war stance, at least 1,600 people have been detained. Of these, 94 individuals have been sentenced under criminal charges to terms ranging from 1 to 23 years.
Belarusians who long for freedom have never supported the war on Russia’s side. On February 24, 2022, Belarusians understood better than anyone what was happening and supported a free and independent Ukraine. Today, several Belarusian units are fighting alongside the Ukrainian forces; Belarusians are dying for Ukraine’s freedom and understand well that victory must be on the side of the Ukrainians, who are defending their homeland. Today, there is a war in Ukraine—tomorrow it may spread to Europe if we do not all work together to stop the dictators Putin and Lukashenka.
There are no simple answers to complex questions. There is no secret plan for how we must free people from prison.
But we can and will put forth every effort to stop the repression in the country and release political prisoners so that Belarus can truly become a democratic nation. To achieve this, we are looking for experts and partners who share the values of human rights, freedom, and justice for all people. We are eager to learn from you and hope that our experience can also be valuable to you. By joining our efforts in defending human rights, we have a chance to make the world a better place. Belarusian human rights defenders will continue working until there is no political prisoner left in the country. We would be grateful for any support from our community—whether informational or in the form of partnership. We invite you to reach out for contacts and discussions. Thank you!