In Vilnius, during the "New Belarus" conference, a panel discussion titled "Actions for Political Prisoners in 2025: From Release to Rehabilitation" took place. During the discussion, the head of the BYSOL fund, Andrei Strizhak, presented an international humanitarian aid fund.
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The new structure primarily focuses on assisting former political prisoners still in Belarus and the families of political detainees. Additionally, it plans to provide support to those affected by repressions who have not been recognized as political prisoners.
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Various governments are acting as donors. Agreements have already been reached with the governments of Sweden and Norway. Negotiations are ongoing with three other countries. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office is promoting the fund on the international stage. The fund’s work involves The Humanitarian Ambulance Service, which includes the BYSOL and A Country to Live in foundations, the Public campaign BY_Help and Dissidentby Initiative , along with four other organizations whose names will be revealed later. A detailed presentation of the fund is promised within a few weeks.
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In the conference's sidelines, Volha Zazulinskaya commented on the activities of the new fund:
"This fund is open to everyone. The uniqueness of the fund lies in its reputation, vouched for by our international partners. An international board has been created to control and allocate the funds. Once everything is fully established, we will also approach businesses, including Belarusian ones. If businesses are ready to donate money and work in such a format, we welcome it because we lack funds. We are grateful to everyone for their help. The fund's operational mechanism was determined by our international partners. The money will be allocated to organizations that have aid programs and experience in such work."
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During the panel discussion, a representative of "Viasna," human rights defender and former political prisoner Leanid Sudalenka, spoke about the repressions in Belarus and the number of political prisoners. He also mentioned the number of people detained in Belarus since 2020 for political reasons, which is about 50,000 people.
Former political prisoner, community manager of politzek.me, member of the "Youth Thrust" list of the Coordination Council Alana Gebremariam emphasized the need for negotiations with Lukashenko's regime regarding political prisoners.
Member of the Coordination Council's "Vola" list, former political prisoner, blogger, representative of the BELPOL initiative, Aliaksandr Kabanau, called for the unification of democratic forces in developing a unified approach to the issue of political prisoners' release.
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Head of "A Country to Live" fund, Volha Zazulinskaya, highlighted the need to set aside differences and unite all democratic forces at one table. She believes that the issue of releasing political prisoners is the most important challenge facing Belarusians today.
The new structure primarily focuses on assisting former political prisoners still in Belarus and the families of political detainees. Additionally, it plans to provide support to those affected by repressions who have not been recognized as political prisoners.
Various governments are acting as donors. Agreements have already been reached with the governments of Sweden and Norway. Negotiations are ongoing with three other countries. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office is promoting the fund on the international stage. The fund’s work involves The Humanitarian Ambulance Service, which includes the BYSOL and A Country to Live in foundations, the Public campaign BY_Help and Dissidentby Initiative , along with four other organizations whose names will be revealed later. A detailed presentation of the fund is promised within a few weeks.
In the conference's sidelines, Volha Zazulinskaya commented on the activities of the new fund:
"This fund is open to everyone. The uniqueness of the fund lies in its reputation, vouched for by our international partners. An international board has been created to control and allocate the funds. Once everything is fully established, we will also approach businesses, including Belarusian ones. If businesses are ready to donate money and work in such a format, we welcome it because we lack funds. We are grateful to everyone for their help. The fund's operational mechanism was determined by our international partners. The money will be allocated to organizations that have aid programs and experience in such work."
During the panel discussion, a representative of "Viasna," human rights defender and former political prisoner Leanid Sudalenka, spoke about the repressions in Belarus and the number of political prisoners. He also mentioned the number of people detained in Belarus since 2020 for political reasons, which is about 50,000 people.
Former political prisoner, community manager of politzek.me, member of the "Youth Thrust" list of the Coordination Council Alana Gebremariam emphasized the need for negotiations with Lukashenko's regime regarding political prisoners.
Member of the Coordination Council's "Vola" list, former political prisoner, blogger, representative of the BELPOL initiative, Aliaksandr Kabanau, called for the unification of democratic forces in developing a unified approach to the issue of political prisoners' release.
Coordinator of the "Volny" initiative, activist Veranika Stankevich spoke about the challenges in the reintegration of released political prisoners, of which there are already over 2,000.
Senior political advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Franak Viachorka, reported on the work of the Office concerning the release of political prisoners. He urged Belarusians to file complaints about the actions of Lukashenko's regime to international organizations. This should help document the regime's crimes.Head of "A Country to Live" fund, Volha Zazulinskaya, highlighted the need to set aside differences and unite all democratic forces at one table. She believes that the issue of releasing political prisoners is the most important challenge facing Belarusians today.
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