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According to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the recent death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny while in Russian custody may serve as a signal to authoritarian regimes to also harm and possibly kill other political prisoners.
In 2020, Ms Tsikhanouskaya sought refuge in Lithuania following her political campaign against Belarus’s current president, Alexander Lukashenko. The elections, which Mr Lukashenko won, were heavily criticized for being fraudulent.
Since his detainment in May 2020, Siarhei, the husband of the author of this sentence, is still being held in custody in Belarus. His arrest took place after he declared his plans to run against Mr. Lukashenko, who has a strong connection with Vladimir Putin.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya urged for increased pressure to release political prisoners in response to the murder of Alexei Navalny, stating that failure to act now would only lead to more negative outcomes for incarcerated individuals.
According to his wife, Mr. Siarhei, a well-known video blogger who speaks out against the Belarusian government, has been isolated and without communication for the last year.
During this period, Navalny’s family has not been informed by the authorities about his status. The news of his unexpected passing in prison has had a significant impact on Ms Tsikhanouskaya.
She explained that she is completely unaware of any information about him. She is unsure of his well-being or if he is still alive… The letters she sends are not being received and she hears her children ask daily when they can be reunited with their father, which adds to her sorrow.
Last March, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya was given a 15-year prison sentence by a Belarusian court for her participation in a trial held in her absence. She was accused of plotting to overthrow the government. This sentence was a result of the government’s prolonged attempt to quell dissent after widespread protests.
She denounced her conviction and punishment as a retaliatory move by the government of Belarus and promised to persist in her battle for liberty.
“If he had the opportunity, Lukashenko would have imprisoned every single person,” she remarked.
Mr Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus since 1994 and has announced he will run again for president in 2025. He allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a launchpad for Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though is not believed to have committed Belarusian troops to the conflict directly.
The demonstrations against his return to authority in 2020 have lessened following widespread detentions.
According to Ms Tsikhanouskaya, the lack of large demonstrations in Belarus is due to the fact that people there are still living in a time similar to Stalin’s rule, comparable to the oppressive Gulag labour camps during the Soviet era.
According to her, individuals in Belarus are being arrested for wearing socks of the “wrong” color, speaking the Belarusian language, or showing support for families of political prisoners.
On Sunday, the nation hosted elections for parliament and local councils, but according to Ms Tsikhanouskaya, these cannot be deemed as legitimate elections. She described them as an impersonation and a mere ritual, rather than true elections.
The United States labeled the elections as fraudulent, but the top election official in Belarus disregarded this criticism and urged Washington to focus on their own matters.
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This information is from the website independent.co.uk.
