Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with former political prisoner Alena Maushuk in Vilnius.
Alena, a mother of five, was arrested in 2020 along with her husband during a protest rally and later sentenced to six years in prison, losing her parental rights. She spent four and a half years behind bars, where she was deprived of visits and packages from her family and subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Thanks to the joint efforts of President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and the US State Department, Alena was released a few weeks ago along with journalist Andrei Kuznechyk and a US citizen.
Today’s meeting took place in Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Vilnius. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya greeted Alena with a warm embrace and words of support, asking about her adaptation to life in a new country. Alena shared that Belarusian NGOs in Lithuania have been a great help to her and spoke about her time in prison, the constant pressure, and the torture she endured.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Every time I meet former political prisoners, I struggle to hold back my emotions – their stories are ones of unbearable pain. What people go through in prisons in Belarus is pure horror. I am incredibly happy that Alena is now free and can finally feel safe”.
