The Rapporteur for a Democratic Belarus at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Belinda Gottardi, visited the Belarusian Democratic Community Center in Sesto Fiorentino and a shelter for Belarusians in Montelupo Fiorentino.
The Director of the Center and Head of the People’s Embassy of Belarus in Italy, Yuliya Yukhno, spoke about the organization’s work and its support for Belarusians in exile, including temporary accommodation, assistance with paperwork, and help with integration in Italy.
Ms. Gottardi and Ms. Yukhno paid particular attention to the challenges Belarusians face in exile and the problems the Center has to address in its day-to-day work.
They also met with residents of the Belarusian shelter, who shared their stories and spoke about their needs, challenges, and hopes for the future. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss directly the situation of people rebuilding their lives in Italy after being forced to leave Belarus due to repression.
Yuliya Yukhno: “We are sincerely grateful to Belinda Gottardi for her interest in the challenges facing Belarusians and her willingness to engage in open dialogue. We appreciate that the voices of Belarusians in exile are heard at the European level. Meetings like this allow us to both explain the difficulties our community faces and draw the attention of European institutions to the support that Belarusians in exile need”.
