On Belarus and the democratic movement:
- “I want to address all Belarusians – if you’ve been waiting for a sign, here it is. Governments perish when they can’t tell the good from the bad”.
- “The leader of Belarus is my wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and I’m not claiming any role here. Do you think that someone who’s spent five years in isolation should be a leader? We have thousands like me”.
- “I don’t intend to interfere in the Office’s work. I’ve been told things like: ‘The Office does this and that, they’re stealing…’ They call us traitors. But let me tell you – I’ve never met a more honest person than Sviatlana. I couldn’t even dream of being her equal”.
On Ukraine and Russia:
- “Crimea is Ukrainian territory. I fully support Ukraine. President Zelenskyy is facing an incredibly difficult fate – I support him absolutely and unconditionally. His burden is even heavier than mine. He is my hero”.
- “The Putin regime is our common enemy. It is the Putin regime. Until it collapses, there will be no victory for Belarus”.
On the role of the United States:
- “Donald Trump has the power to free all political prisoners in Belarus with just a word. I’m asking for help. If he speaks up, there’s a real chance to release everyone”.
On prison conditions:
- “I spent over five years in solitary confinement. For nearly three of those years, I didn’t receive a single letter. It was total isolation”.
- “I was under what’s called the harshest regime [maximum security] – I believe Maryia Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka are under it now too. It means no letters for two and a half years. No calls to relatives via Skype or phone, even though it’s allowed by law”.
- “They didn’t even let me confess in all these years. I’m an Orthodox Christian but I couldn’t confess or take communion – even though the law guarantees this monthly, in both pre-trial and regular prisons. No letters, no calls, no lawyer, no priest”.
- “During the last month, they started feeding me: butter, eggs, cottage cheese, double rations. That’s why I look like this now! Imagine what I looked like before?”
On methods of political imprisonment:
- “You’re not allowed anything. They force you to clean an already spotless room for hours, then throw you in a punishment cell for ‘not cleaning’. No lawyer, no complaints – you just sit in that cell. Isn’t that torture? I told them: ‘You’ve got maniacs next door watching TV. At least give me one letter from my family’. A prisoner is still a human being. We have rights”.
- “I thought I’d be sentenced to 3–4 years. I’m lucky to be out after five instead of 20. I wouldn’t have survived that”.
On the meeting with Lukashenka in detention:
- “A small room, 12 inmates, and Lukashenka sitting at the head. I asked him: ‘Why did you plant the money on me?’ And he answered: ‘What did you expect? Politics is a dirty game. That’s the only way it works’. And Babaryka and I replied: ‘We thought it could be done with clean hands’”.
On Maryia Kalesnikava:
- “[Raman] Pratasevich visited Maryia, asking her to request a pardon. She attacked him with her fists”.
“I have never doubted or regretted anything. And I don’t regret it now,” Siarhei added at the end of the press conference.
