Фото: t.me/tsikhanouskaya
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed freed Belarusians who arrived in Warsaw and Vilnius and stressed that the fight for those who remain in prison continues.
“Today in Warsaw and in Vilnius we met political prisoners who were freed on December 13. This is the result of long and complex work. We are very grateful to President Donald Trump and the U.S. presidential administration for making the release of Belarusian political prisoners possible. Many thanks to Ukraine for assistance and coordination in the first days after the releases and forced deportation.
Special thanks go to Lithuania and Poland for their readiness to help, the warm reception, and support for Belarusian political prisoners. In addition, I would like to thank the diplomats, border guards, and police officers for their excellent work in helping to organize this very complex operation. We are deeply grateful for the professional and coordinated approach to organizing and coordinating the process,” the Office’s press service quoted her as saying.
“It is a great joy to see people who have gone through prisons, pressure, and exile now free. Each such release is both a joy and a reminder of those who are still behind bars. We will do everything possible to ensure that every political prisoner in Belarus is freed. Ahead lies a long path of recovery, adaptation, and return to normal life,” the politician added.
Twenty Belarusian men and women who were released on December 13 and forcibly taken out of Belarus arrived in Vilnius from Ukraine. Among them are politician Paval Sieviaryniec and human rights defender Uladzimir Labkovich. In Vilnius, the freed individuals were met by relatives, volunteers, activists, and representatives of Belarus’s democratic forces.
According to the Tsikhanouskaya Office, the evacuation, reception, and support of the freed political prisoners became possible thanks to the joint efforts of a number of Belarusian and international initiatives: the Country for Life charitable foundation, BYSOL, the Viasna Human Rights Center, the Ineedhelpby and Dissidentby initiatives, the Da Voli association, the National Anti-Crisis Management, Dapamoga, Volnyya, the Kalinoŭski Regiment, the I Want to Live project, the foundation of Pavel Latushka, and many others, in coordination with the Mission of the Democratic Forces in Ukraine, representatives of the Cabinet for Social Policy and National Security, and the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Significant assistance continues to be provided by Lithuania and Poland.
Assistance for those released — from medical and psychological support to assistance with documents and temporary adaptation — is ongoing.
As a reminder, 123 political prisoners were released on December 13. Of them, 114 people were taken to Ukraine. Yesterday they left Ukraine and arrived in Warsaw overnight. Most of the former political prisoners remained in Poland, while the rest traveled to Lithuania.