Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Now there are more prisoners of conscience in Belarus than ever before. We need to speak about them often and out loud. These are brave people who are being held behind bars only because they wanted to change Belarus for the better. And today I want to tell you about Volha Paulava.
Volha Paulava was a part of our headquarters from the first day. She didn't miss a single day of pickets. Often the signatures had to be collected in the pouring rain and wind, but neither Volha nor the other campaign volunteers left their jobs.
They continuously had to deal with provocations of members of security forces. But she maintained good spirits even on the worst days. Once she noticed a homeless Dobermann near the highway. She took the dog, fed it and found new owners. This is all Volha.
She had a choice to stay at her beloved and well-paid job or to fight for freedom. Because of the choice she made, she was detained four times. On August 9, she was wounded by a stun grenade and detained by riot police. Beaten and wounded, she was taken to Akrestsina Detention Centre. There she endured three days of torture. Then, she spent two more days in Zhodzina.
Volha was detained during a march to Kurapaty, on the Square of Changes on the day of memory of Raman Bandarenka and even in the parking lot, where she stood up for people. For this, she was taken to the police department, sentenced to pay another fine, and then a criminal case was initiated. She spent several weeks in a disciplinary cell in Zhodzina, went on a hunger strike and secured a transfer to a prison hospital.
Volha Paulava is a principled and active person. Her husband and 6-year-old son are waiting for her at home. We are doing everything possible to release both her and other political prisoners as soon as possible. But now they need support. Write Volha a letter or send a postcard. On http://politzek.me you can find stories of political prisoners. http://vkletochku.org helps to send them letters confidentially even from abroad.
These people spend weeks and months in prison for all of us. Let's find five minutes for them”.
