#WeStandBYyou: Four new godparenthoods

As part of our #WeStandBYyou campaign, Chantal Kopf, Ricarda Lang and Sandra Stein (Alliance 90/The Greens, Germany), along with Vula Tsetsi (European Green Party, Greece), are becoming the godparents of Dzmitry Ivashkou, Yuliya Yurhilevich, Dzmitry Kuchuk and Hanna Ablab.

Dzmitry Kuchuk is the former chair of the Belarusian Green Party, which was affiliated with the European Green Party (EGP). The Supreme Court of Belarus dissolved the Green Party in July 2023 due to its opposition to the regime. On 16 February 2024, Dzmitry Kuchuk was arrested while attempting to lay flowers in front of the Russian Embassy in Minsk in memory of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. He was sentenced to six years in prison and a substantial fine for “Violation of public order” (Art. 342) and “Calls for harming national security” (Art. 361).

Vula Tsetsi is the co-chair of the European Green Party. She is becoming the godparent of Dzmitry Kuchuk and says: “I demand the immediate release of my Green colleague Dzmitry Kuchuk! Dzmitry was arrested in 2024 while laying flowers in memory of Alexei Navalny and sentenced to six years in prison on completely unsubstantiated charges. His case is not isolated. The Lukashenko dictatorship continues to use authoritarian and intimidatory practices to oppress political opponents and persecute individuals exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. I stand firmly in solidarity with Dmitry and all those in Belarus who have been wrongfully imprisoned, forced into exile, or continue the courageous struggle for a democratic society where human rights are respected and upheld.”

Dzmitry Ivashkou was a member of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s election campaign team. Shortly before the presidential election, he was arrested for the first time and severely beaten. He was arrested again on 29 September 2020 during a peaceful protest and charged. He was sentenced to six years in prison for alleged “Participation in riots” (Article 293) and “Violation of public order” (Art. 342).

Chantal Kopf is a member of the Bundestag for the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen party. She is taking on a godparenthood for the second time and is now supporting Dzmitry Ivashkou. She explains: ‘Anyone who stands up for democracy and freedom of expression in Belarus is oppressed and persecuted by the regime. That is why I am impressed by people like him. He has fought courageously and against all odds for political change in Belarus, even joining Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s election campaign team. For standing up for democracy, he has been in prison since 2020, where he is subjected to violence and torture. As a Member of Parliament, I am supporting him and would like to show solidarity with this young political activist, who represents a vigilant and active civil society and democratic opposition. Freedom of expression is a human right, not a crime. I therefore call for the immediate release of Dzmitry Ivashkou and all other political prisoners in Belarus.

Yuliya Yurhilevich was a lawyer representing many political prisoners in Belarus until her licence was arbitrarily revoked in February 2022. Upon her return from Poland on 30 August 2022, she was arrested and brought to trial for supporting political prisoners. She was accused of disclosing information about her clients to an independent newspaper. Yuliya was sentenced to six years in prison for “Promoting extremist activities” (Art. 361-4). In 2023, she was awarded the Ludovic Trarieux Prize in recognition of her commitment to defending human rights.

Ricarda Lang is a Bündnis 90/Die Grünen member of the German Bundestag. Through becoming a godparent for the second time, she is showing her solidarity with Yuliya Yurhilevich, stating: ‘Since 2022, Yuliya Yurhilevich has been held captive under inhumane conditions in Penal Colony No. 4 in Gomel. As a lawyer, she defended numerous political prisoners in Belarusian courts, fighting for their rights and standing up for our shared democratic values in the process. For this, she was stigmatised as an ‘extremist’ and arrested by the authoritarian Lukashenko regime. I am calling for the immediate release of Yuliya Yurhilevich and all political prisoners in Belarus. As part of Libereco’s solidarity campaign for Belarusian prisoners, I am supporting her. We are watching, and we stand together in solidarity with those fighting for freedom and democracy in Belarus.”

Hanna Ablab worked for the Belarusian state railways and has three children. She was a member of the independent workers’ movement Rabochy Rukh, which supported local strikes following the rigged presidential election in 2020. On 22 September 2021, Hanna and other members were arrested after the regime classified Rabochy Rukh as an ‘extremist group’ and accused them of collaborating with foreign intelligence services. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison for “Creation of or participation in an extremist formation” (Art. 361-1) and “High treason” (Article 356)

Sandra Stein (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) has taken over the role of godparent from her colleague, Beate Müller-Gemmeke, and has issued the following statement: ‘I am delighted to be taking on the godparenthood for Hanna Ablab. As part of the labour movement, she joined nationwide strikes against the Lukashenko regime and was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a show trial. Everyone deserves the right to express their opinion without fear of persecution, and to come together to fight for a better future. It is up to all of us to defend these values and ensure they are respected in countries such as Belarus. Taking on this godparenthood is a small but important step towards raising awareness of the dire situation faced by political prisoners and showing solidarity. I am therefore very pleased to be supporting Hanna Ablab with the help of the organisation Libereco.’