“Ihar Losik ended the hunger strike. I support him in this decision and continue to insist on the immediate release of all political prisoners. And today I want to quote a letter from Ihar:
“I have decided to end my hunger strike. Why did I do that? I did it of my own volition. I have not eaten anything for more than forty days, but I still feel the strength and ability to continue [hunger-striking]. But I was deeply moved by the incredible wave of solidarity as well as by the fact that hundreds and thousands of Belarusians urged me to stop it so that I could stay healthy and live to our common victory.
And I know that many people also embarked on [solidarity] hunger strike while I was fasting. I cannot take on such a great burden of responsibility, I do not want others to suffer due to my conscious choice. After reading all these appeals in your letters, I realized that I just could not be the reason for your distress, I could not make my family and all of you worry about me.
I never sought prominence, I never sought publicity. I just wanted to live a quiet life and raise my daughter. But I was pushed into resorting to such an extreme measure.I was arrested long before the elections, and I had no idea, did not realize the cardinal changes that had taken place over the past six months. From prison, it is not so noticeable. I realized that I could rely on all of you because you will succeed. Now I am sure of this. Compassion and solidarity are not alien to you; they do not care about the suffering of hundreds of families, children, and human lives. You will not fail. Now are the times when there are no wrong decisions when there are deeds.
Winter is always followed by spring, dawn succeeds to night. No one has yet been able to cancel or stop the historical developments with the help of any decrees, arrests, or even executions. Many thanks to everyone for their support, I will wait for good news.
P.S. Many wrote that I would not achieve anything. It’s not true. By my action, I drew attention not only to my case, but also to the situation with political prisoners in our country. Now people are talking about us all loudly and are demanding the release of the innocent people who were arrested and convicted using all possible avenues. This means a lot. I hope that the topic of political prisoners will not disappear from the agenda with the end of my hunger strike. Thank you all again for your support and solidarity”.
