May 21 is the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Let us remember those who will remain political prisoners forever.
Vitold Ashurak: A life cut short
Vitold Ashurak, a 50-year-old resident of Berezovka (Grodno Region), became one of the most famous prisoners of the Lukashenko regime after the 2020 protests.
Prior to 2010, he had no interest in politics, but after the brutal dispersal of people who were protesting against the falsified elections of that year, Ashurak could not remain indifferent. He actively became involved in civic life, participating in protests and restoring the memory of the Kalinouski rebels. Ashurak ran for local and parliamentary deputies, and also fought against the worsening environmental situation in Berezovka, speaking out against the harmful production of fiberglass.
On September 19, 2020, his peaceful protest resulted in a harsh sentence: 5 years in a general-regime colony on dubious charges. On May 21, 2021, Ashurak was found dead in Colony No. 17 in Shklov. The official version is death from cardiac arrest. But relatives and friends do not believe in it. They claim that Vitold was killed.
The death of Vitold Ashurak became a shock for Belarusian society and a symbol of the cruelty of the authorities towards the opposition. Despite the pain and fear, Vitold's relatives and friends continue to demand a fair investigation, demanding that the perpetrators be punished.
Mikalai Klimovich: A chronology of injustice
In 2023, Belarus was shocked by the tragic death of Nikolai Klimovich, a 61-year-old blogger and public activist from Pinsk. Nikolai Klimovich was known for his anti-war stance and criticism of the authorities. He was convicted for a harmless like. Despite health problems, the court showed no compassion for him.
December 2022. Nikolai's social networks, filled with anti-war sentiments and criticism of the authorities, attract the attention of the security forces. He is detained and placed in solitary confinement for three days. Due to health problems (group II disability on the heart), Klimovich is released before the trial.
February 10, 2023. The court, ignoring the presence of a disability, finds Klimovich guilty of spreading Nazi symbols for a like under a caricature of Putin in Nazi form. A fine is imposed.
February 28, 2023. An unfair sentence: 1 year of imprisonment for "insulting Lukashenko" (a satirical image on a social network). The sentence is passed, despite Klimovich's disability and words that he may not survive imprisonment. Arrested in the courtroom. The Brest Regional Court upholds the verdict.
May 5, 2023. Klimovich dies in the colony, where he spent only two weeks.
Ales Pushkin: Political prisoner and outrageous artist
Ales Pushkin was a well-known Belarusian nonconformist painter, iconographer, performer, and art curator.
One of the main works of his life, Ales called the painting of a church in his hometown of Bobr: among the sinners at the Last Judgment stands a man who looks terribly like the dictator, as well as riot police and people who look like Orthodox hierarchs. The work had to be painted over, and in 2011 the church mysteriously burned down.
Pushkin was remembered for the wheelbarrow of manure that he rolled to the Lukashenko Administration in July 1999. During the performance, he scattered manure, and on top of it - devalued rubles and the Constitution. For the performance, Pushkin was sentenced to two years probation.
In general, Ales Pushkin was one of the first political prisoners. In 1988, Pushkin was taken to the Oкрестина detention center for 5 days for sticking up leaflets urging people to come to the action timed to Dziady. Later, he took to the streets with a crossed-out BSSR flag (2 years probation), took the state flag from the Orsha police station and threw it down from the second floor (10 days of arrest)... Ales Pushkin's stories would be enough for a good volume of stories.
After the 2020 elections, Ales Pushkin was beaten and showed bruises on his stomach, back, and buttocks. He spent 10 days in Oкреstina. And in 2021, Pushkin was detained for a cycle of works written more than 20 years ago. He was kept in solitary confinement for a year. On March 25, 2022, at a court hearing, Pushkin cut his stomach, and on March 30 he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
He died on July 11, 2023 in the intensive care unit, where he was brought from prison with a perforated ulcer.
"Whatever cross I have laid upon myself, I must bear it, no matter how hard it is. What is the worst that can happen to me? They will put me in prison for 5 to 12 years, but I will be alive, no one will kill me," Pushkin said before his arrest. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Vadzim Khrasko: Cruel injustice in a Belarusian prison
Vadim Khrasko, a 50-year-old IT specialist and political prisoner, died of pneumonia in the Vitba colony. His life was cut short on the night of January 8-9, 2024, when, despite a serious illness, he did not receive proper medical attention.
Vadim was sentenced to three years in prison for "financing extremist activities" - for several donations to opposition groups. Judge Sergei Khripac found him guilty, despite Khrasko's serious illness. Vadim's death was the fourth among political prisoners in Belarusian prisons, which speaks to the harsh conditions of detention and disregard for the rights of prisoners.
"It is important to me that the people in prison know that they are remembered and that they are waiting for them at freedom," - this quote reflects Vadim's deep need for justice and support for all those who ended up behind bars for political reasons.
Ihar Lednik: Voice of freedom silenced behind bars
Ihar Lednik, a journalist and public figure, was like a tuning fork of truth in a world of falsehood. At the age of 64, he remained true to his principles, despite the repression that loomed over him. In April 2022, he was arrested for "slandering" Alexander Lukashenko - a bold article published in a party magazine. "Injustice is the poison that kills society," Igor said.
At first he was sentenced to 15 days in jail, but this short term was followed by an accusation, a sentence and three years in prison. In correctional colony No. 15 in Mogilev, Ihar's health deteriorated sharply. An operation on the gastrointestinal tract and heart problems, a group II disability - a person with such a medical history ended up in a prison where even people with stronger health cannot stand it.
"Every blow to my body is a blow to freedom," Igor wrote in one of his letters. On February 20, 2024, his heart stopped. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. He died in the Minsk District Hospital, where he was taken from the Bobruisk colony.
Ihar believed that "a life lived in the struggle for truth is worthy of being lived."
Aliaksandr Kulinich: Ideological lieutenant colonel accused of insulting the dictator
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Aliaksanr Kulinych did not live to see his 52nd birthday by two days. On April 9, 2024, his life was cut short - he did not wake up in his cell in the morning. Instead of a feast in his native Molodechno, his family was forced to organize a wake.
Aliaksandr Kulinych, a native of Molodechno, a career military man - dedicated his life to service, giving years to the airborne troops in the 38th Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brest Brigade of the Airborne Forces. He served there until 2009, then retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In recent years, Aleiaksandr had a small business, he sold food additives for baking bread and cookies.
"He always had a firm civic position, which was expressed in love for his country and homeland and complete hatred of the current regime in both Belarus and the Russian Federation," - recalls his son Nikita.
In 2020, when Belarus was swept by a wave of protests against the falsification of elections, Aliaksandr did not stand aside. He participated in protests in Brest, and at one point, using his authority as a former officer, he managed to negotiate with the security forces, achieving the release of detained protesters. "He went up to the commander, talked, and they let the protesters through," says his friend Sergei.
In 2024, for "insulting Lukashenko'' on social media, an offense committed long before, Aliaksandr was detained. He was apprehended in the village of Dorogovo in the Korelichi district of the Grodno region, where he had been living recently. However, the video of the arrest, published by the authorities, showed unclear footage of an arrest in an apartment building.
Aliaksandr ended up in pre-trial detention center No.7 in Brest, where he awaited a court hearing scheduled for April 16. But on April 9, 2024, before the trial, Aliaksandr Kulinich died of ischemic heart disease.
Let's remember the dead heroes of Belarus. We also call for solidarity not only with the dead, but also with the living ones - those who are now languishing in prison. Therefore, we urge you to join the actions dedicated to the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Here is the schedule of these events.
Online
Until June 9
Vitold Ashurak: A life cut short
Vitold Ashurak, a 50-year-old resident of Berezovka (Grodno Region), became one of the most famous prisoners of the Lukashenko regime after the 2020 protests.
Prior to 2010, he had no interest in politics, but after the brutal dispersal of people who were protesting against the falsified elections of that year, Ashurak could not remain indifferent. He actively became involved in civic life, participating in protests and restoring the memory of the Kalinouski rebels. Ashurak ran for local and parliamentary deputies, and also fought against the worsening environmental situation in Berezovka, speaking out against the harmful production of fiberglass.
On September 19, 2020, his peaceful protest resulted in a harsh sentence: 5 years in a general-regime colony on dubious charges. On May 21, 2021, Ashurak was found dead in Colony No. 17 in Shklov. The official version is death from cardiac arrest. But relatives and friends do not believe in it. They claim that Vitold was killed.
The death of Vitold Ashurak became a shock for Belarusian society and a symbol of the cruelty of the authorities towards the opposition. Despite the pain and fear, Vitold's relatives and friends continue to demand a fair investigation, demanding that the perpetrators be punished.
Mikalai Klimovich: A chronology of injustice
In 2023, Belarus was shocked by the tragic death of Nikolai Klimovich, a 61-year-old blogger and public activist from Pinsk. Nikolai Klimovich was known for his anti-war stance and criticism of the authorities. He was convicted for a harmless like. Despite health problems, the court showed no compassion for him.
December 2022. Nikolai's social networks, filled with anti-war sentiments and criticism of the authorities, attract the attention of the security forces. He is detained and placed in solitary confinement for three days. Due to health problems (group II disability on the heart), Klimovich is released before the trial.
February 10, 2023. The court, ignoring the presence of a disability, finds Klimovich guilty of spreading Nazi symbols for a like under a caricature of Putin in Nazi form. A fine is imposed.
February 28, 2023. An unfair sentence: 1 year of imprisonment for "insulting Lukashenko" (a satirical image on a social network). The sentence is passed, despite Klimovich's disability and words that he may not survive imprisonment. Arrested in the courtroom. The Brest Regional Court upholds the verdict.
May 5, 2023. Klimovich dies in the colony, where he spent only two weeks.
Ales Pushkin: Political prisoner and outrageous artist
Ales Pushkin was a well-known Belarusian nonconformist painter, iconographer, performer, and art curator.
One of the main works of his life, Ales called the painting of a church in his hometown of Bobr: among the sinners at the Last Judgment stands a man who looks terribly like the dictator, as well as riot police and people who look like Orthodox hierarchs. The work had to be painted over, and in 2011 the church mysteriously burned down.
Pushkin was remembered for the wheelbarrow of manure that he rolled to the Lukashenko Administration in July 1999. During the performance, he scattered manure, and on top of it - devalued rubles and the Constitution. For the performance, Pushkin was sentenced to two years probation.
In general, Ales Pushkin was one of the first political prisoners. In 1988, Pushkin was taken to the Oкрестина detention center for 5 days for sticking up leaflets urging people to come to the action timed to Dziady. Later, he took to the streets with a crossed-out BSSR flag (2 years probation), took the state flag from the Orsha police station and threw it down from the second floor (10 days of arrest)... Ales Pushkin's stories would be enough for a good volume of stories.
After the 2020 elections, Ales Pushkin was beaten and showed bruises on his stomach, back, and buttocks. He spent 10 days in Oкреstina. And in 2021, Pushkin was detained for a cycle of works written more than 20 years ago. He was kept in solitary confinement for a year. On March 25, 2022, at a court hearing, Pushkin cut his stomach, and on March 30 he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
He died on July 11, 2023 in the intensive care unit, where he was brought from prison with a perforated ulcer.
"Whatever cross I have laid upon myself, I must bear it, no matter how hard it is. What is the worst that can happen to me? They will put me in prison for 5 to 12 years, but I will be alive, no one will kill me," Pushkin said before his arrest. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Vadzim Khrasko: Cruel injustice in a Belarusian prison
Vadim Khrasko, a 50-year-old IT specialist and political prisoner, died of pneumonia in the Vitba colony. His life was cut short on the night of January 8-9, 2024, when, despite a serious illness, he did not receive proper medical attention.
Vadim was sentenced to three years in prison for "financing extremist activities" - for several donations to opposition groups. Judge Sergei Khripac found him guilty, despite Khrasko's serious illness. Vadim's death was the fourth among political prisoners in Belarusian prisons, which speaks to the harsh conditions of detention and disregard for the rights of prisoners.
"It is important to me that the people in prison know that they are remembered and that they are waiting for them at freedom," - this quote reflects Vadim's deep need for justice and support for all those who ended up behind bars for political reasons.
Ihar Lednik: Voice of freedom silenced behind bars
Ihar Lednik, a journalist and public figure, was like a tuning fork of truth in a world of falsehood. At the age of 64, he remained true to his principles, despite the repression that loomed over him. In April 2022, he was arrested for "slandering" Alexander Lukashenko - a bold article published in a party magazine. "Injustice is the poison that kills society," Igor said.
At first he was sentenced to 15 days in jail, but this short term was followed by an accusation, a sentence and three years in prison. In correctional colony No. 15 in Mogilev, Ihar's health deteriorated sharply. An operation on the gastrointestinal tract and heart problems, a group II disability - a person with such a medical history ended up in a prison where even people with stronger health cannot stand it.
"Every blow to my body is a blow to freedom," Igor wrote in one of his letters. On February 20, 2024, his heart stopped. Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. He died in the Minsk District Hospital, where he was taken from the Bobruisk colony.
Ihar believed that "a life lived in the struggle for truth is worthy of being lived."
Aliaksandr Kulinich: Ideological lieutenant colonel accused of insulting the dictator
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Aliaksanr Kulinych did not live to see his 52nd birthday by two days. On April 9, 2024, his life was cut short - he did not wake up in his cell in the morning. Instead of a feast in his native Molodechno, his family was forced to organize a wake.
Aliaksandr Kulinych, a native of Molodechno, a career military man - dedicated his life to service, giving years to the airborne troops in the 38th Separate Guards Airborne Assault Brest Brigade of the Airborne Forces. He served there until 2009, then retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In recent years, Aleiaksandr had a small business, he sold food additives for baking bread and cookies.
"He always had a firm civic position, which was expressed in love for his country and homeland and complete hatred of the current regime in both Belarus and the Russian Federation," - recalls his son Nikita.
In 2020, when Belarus was swept by a wave of protests against the falsification of elections, Aliaksandr did not stand aside. He participated in protests in Brest, and at one point, using his authority as a former officer, he managed to negotiate with the security forces, achieving the release of detained protesters. "He went up to the commander, talked, and they let the protesters through," says his friend Sergei.
In 2024, for "insulting Lukashenko'' on social media, an offense committed long before, Aliaksandr was detained. He was apprehended in the village of Dorogovo in the Korelichi district of the Grodno region, where he had been living recently. However, the video of the arrest, published by the authorities, showed unclear footage of an arrest in an apartment building.
Aliaksandr ended up in pre-trial detention center No.7 in Brest, where he awaited a court hearing scheduled for April 16. But on April 9, 2024, before the trial, Aliaksandr Kulinich died of ischemic heart disease.
Let's remember the dead heroes of Belarus. We also call for solidarity not only with the dead, but also with the living ones - those who are now languishing in prison. Therefore, we urge you to join the actions dedicated to the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Here is the schedule of these events.
Online
- A Country to Live in: 1461 letters to Tsikhanovsky.
- Belarusian Youth Club, Dissident and action Маrathon of letters.
Until June 9
- Warsaw, Poland, Museum of Free Belarus, Multimedia Exhibition "Minsk Anti Zoo. Red Mark".
- Warsaw, Poland, 19:00. Open screening of the film "Purple Tears" and discussion. Registration link.
- Turin, Italy, 14:30, opening of the exhibition by artist Ksisha Angelova: Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria, piazza Carlo Alberto 3.
- Brussels, Belgium, 14:00, Albertine plein, near the central train station.
- Lublin, Poland, 10:00 – 15:00, Faculty of Political Science and Journalism, UMCS, Głęboka 4. "Write a Letter to a Political Prisoner" campaign.
- Białystok, Poland, 18:00. Action near the Belarusian Embassy. Skwer Wolnej Białorusi.
- Warsaw, Poland, 19:00. The Free Kupalauski Theater at the Museum of Free Belarus holds the program "Words from Behind Bars".
- Warsaw, Poland, 17:00 – 20:00, Belarusian Youth Hub, Dożynkowa 6a. Offline meeting for writing letters to political prisoners as part of the "Letter Marathon".
- Warsaw, Poland, 11:00, Belarusian House, ul. Kryniczna. Press conference with former female political prisoners.
- Vilnius, Lithuania, 20:00, Vilniaus gatve 16. Performance "Free". Registration link.
- Vilnius, Lithuania, 19:00, Cathedral Square.
- Vilnius, Lithuania, 17:00, Belarusian House in Vilnius, Vilnius gatve 20. Open recording of the podcast "Spring Will Come".
- Stockholm, Sweden, 18:30, Sergels torg.
- Tallinn, Estonia, 17:30. Screening of the film "The Accidental President". Registration link.
- Prague, Czech Republic. Congress on Political Prisoners in Belarus.
- Warsaw, Poland, Play "Kristina's Sea", Museum of Free Belarus, project of NAU.
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