Recent releases of political prisoners only a first step

According to the LIBERECO partner organisation Viasna, 14 political prisoners were pardoned and taken to Lithuania on Saturday, 21 June. The releases took place immediately after US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg visited Minsk. Among those pardoned is Sergei Tikhanovsky, former presidential candidate and husband of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

“For 14 people, their years of suffering under inhumane conditions of detention have finally come to a happy end,” said Marco Fieber, Executive Director of LIBERECO in Germany. At the same time, he warned: “There are still well over a thousand political prisoners in Belarus. All those who have stood up for democracy, the rule of law, and human rights and have been sentenced to years in prison must be released immediately. All approaches to negotiations and diplomatic initiatives should be utilised for this purpose – because waiting could be fatal!”

Already 8 deaths in custody

Since 2020, at least eight people have died in Belarusian prisons while in custody. Most recently, the death of 61-year-old businessman Valiantsin Shtermer was reported at the end of May.

Since 2020, LIBERECO has been providing medical and psycho-social assistance to politically persecuted people from Belarus. Based on its support for hundreds of ex-prisoners, LIBERECO has recorded that the health of released political prisoners is deteriorating due to long periods of detention and inhumane conditions: damp and cold cells, malnutrition, lack of exercise and little or no direct sunlight. Many prisoners are also subjected to ill-treatment and torture.

In prison, prominent political prisoners such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski are held in isolation, while others are denied legal and medical assistance. There were or are no sign of life for months from some prisoners, including Wiktar Babaryka, Mikalaj Statkewitsch and Maria Kalesnikawa.