Андрей Любецкий. Фото: Facebook
Belarusian pediatric maxillofacial surgeon Andrei Liubetski, who spent more than five years in prison, published a post on Facebook after his release. He described life in prison, thanked those who supported him and said he does not plan to leave the country.
“As I return and reintegrate into society, I clearly see and understand (and I understood that this could happen) that some people (people I know) will be afraid, avoid me, feel uneasy and so on… I understand this as much as I can and I do not judge them even once, because I am not a judge, investigator or prosecutor, after all. (…) And yet most of the people I know (and not only them) responded to my calls, to put it very mildly, positively. And I finally decided to write at least a few words after speaking with some people whose reaction was very similar,” he said.
“From the bottom of my soul and with all my heart, I want to say thank you to all of you, my dear ones, THANK YOU for being there all this time, for not letting me give up, for not letting me wallow in self-pity, for making me keep myself in shape. Now, as I often run around to various offices, I am asked (by strangers) the question — how did you endure it…? I give a short and simple answer, something along the lines of — that is what human beings are like,” the former political prisoner said.
According to him, letters stopped arriving after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. In his post, he recalled a watch his father had given him, engraved with the words: “Everything in this life can be endured as long as there is something to live for, someone to love, someone to care for and someone to trust.” He shared how the words helped him while behind bars.
“I will briefly tell you how I kept moving forward. Yes, that is the exact word. And there are different ways to keep moving. You can smoke and cook, play backgammon, swear every other word — no problem. But I always lived and moved forward imagining that I was constantly being watched. And not by those who were required to watch me as part of their duties, but by my children, family, friends and so on. For two and a half years I studied German, and for two and a half years — English. I didn’t count, but I wrote about 100 poems. At times I exercised to the point of exhaustion, although I had no access to sports equipment. I worked with psychological training equipment and with people of different “castes, classes and social positions.” I read a lot (especially in the so-called covered facility).
I addressed almost everyone, with very rare exceptions, using the formal “you.” Both staff and inmates, including those who were twice as young as me,” Liubetski said.
“As I joke now, at the moment I have three educations: secondary, higher and lower. And they are all excellent,” he said ironically.
According to the surgeon, last year he was told nine days before his scheduled release that he would not be released on time.
“When they came to me and told me, nine days before my release, that I would not be released (they came on Sept. 29, 2025, while I was due to be released on Oct. 8, 2025), I was already as prepared for it as was possible. So this person said, after speaking with me, that for the first time in his entire career he had seen a person on whom being in these places had had no visible effect. Gestures, intonation, a look, something always gives a person away,” he said.
Liubetski said that after his release he will be under preventive supervision for six months and does not currently plan to leave the country. In the near future, he intends to take care of everyday matters and his health. He has no plans to write a book in the near future.
“I want to answer in advance the many questions about my leaving the country. I have six months of preventive supervision. First of all for that reason, although not only for that reason, I will not be going anywhere. There are many other reasons. I will put my thoughts, everyday life, teeth and other things in order. I’ll get a facelift, after all… Not for myself 😉,” he said.
The surgeon also shared several stories from his time in prison.
“I met one officer who was about twice as young as me. He asked — Do I know who he is? I said — Yes, you are so-and-so… He replied — And I know who you are… — Good. (I thought to myself.) — You are the best surgeon in Belarus. How does he know? Did he Google me? I did not argue with him by saying that it was not true; I kept silent… And in principle, I was almost always silent there and did not respond to various provocations, of which there were not actually that many,” he said.
“And to the question — do I regret it…? The question I have already begun to be asked, I will answer all of you this way — please answer it for me yourselves, because my answer is about my personal feelings, emotions and experiences…
This is my destiny“, the former political prisoner concluded.
Andrei Liubetski worked as a maxillofacial surgeon at Minsk Children’s Hospital No. 4 for 18 years. He was detained in May 2021. In April 2022, a court sentenced him to five years in prison. Liubetski was charged with active participation in group actions that grossly violated public order (Part 1, Article 342 of the Criminal Code), intentional acts aimed at inciting hostility and discord (Part 1, Article 130), insulting a representative of the authorities (Article 369) and insulting the president (Parts 1 and 2, Article 368).
In autumn 2025, he was convicted under Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the requirements of the administration of a correctional institution). Liubetski was released on Aug. 9 after completing his sentence. His wife, Natallia Liubetskaya, was forced to leave the country with their children.