The Libereco campaign #WeStandBYyou has reached a milestone today: With the Green politician Britta Haßelmann (Germany), the 300th parliamentarian takes on a symbolic godparenthood for a political prisoner in Belarus.
The 300 godparents from a total of 17 European states illustrate the continuing and enormous European solidarity with the victims of the Lukashenko regime. All godparents are listed on this informative map:
Repression in the shadow of the war on Ukraine
However, the number of 300 symbolic godparents also underlines the ongoing massive repression against dissidents in Belarus: the number of political prisoners has now risen to over 1250 people. People are still being imprisoned for their participation in the protests against the rigged presidential elections in summer 2020. At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko’s regime is now also cracking down on people who oppose the war on Ukraine and Belarus’ participation in it.
Prisoners with serious health conditions
The Lukashenko regime does not shy away from sentencing seriously ill people to long prison terms and subjecting them to inhumane prison conditions. Among the innocent detainees are dozens of people suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, heart diseases or the consequences of violence by state security forces.
Currently, about 30 political prisoners in Belarus are in a life-threatening condition. During their detention, political prisoners do not receive adequate health care, even if they ask the prison authorities for it. The Lukashenko regime thereby violates Belarusian law and universal human rights.
Britta Haßelmann takes on godparenthood for cancer-stricken Pavel Kuchynski
Britta Haßelmann, chairperson of the parliamentary group Alliance 90/The Greens in the German Bundestag, has taken on the godparenthood of Pavel Kuchynski. The 27-year-old political prisoner is suffering from terminal cancer. According to the court ruling, Kuchynski is to spend the next 4.5 years in prison without the necessary medical treatment. Britta Haßelmann states:
Britta Haßelmann, Alliance 90/The Greens, Germany
“Repression, arbitrariness, brutal violence and imprisonment are Lukashenko’s response in Belarus to the aspirations of so many people for freedom and democracy. Their courage and commitment to freedom, democracy and the rule of law in Belarus is impressive. One of these brave men is Pavel Kuchynski, who was arrested in January 2022 for his comments on the internet and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in a penal colony without evidence. He is charged with, among other things, allegedly insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus. I call for the immediate release of Pavel, who has terminal cancer, and all other political prisoners in Belarus who have done nothing but publicly stand up for their opinions. #WeStandBYyou”
#WeStandBYyou demands release of all political prisoners!
Libereco will continue and expand the #WeStandBYyou godparenthood campaign as long as the Lukashenko regime continues the repression against dissidents and arbitrarily imprisons these innocent people as political prisoners. Together with politicians from all over Europe, we demand the immediate release of all political prisoners in Belarus!
