Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Maksim Znak is spending yet another birthday in prison. A creative person, driven by the ideas of justice and respect for law, he has become a hostage of a system that he sought to change. This system cannot tolerate people who see the world through eyes full of kindness, compassion, and a desire to help.
Maksim is one of the people who remains true to themselves no matter what, even when in a room the size of a small closet. He calls things for what they are. And today, hundreds of people do the same because Znak taught them at university and raised them to be worthy Belarusians. Znak's voice is heard even from behind bars in his songs and in the lines of his book "Zekameron", which he wrote in prison.
Maksim is not allowed to see his loved ones, write to them or receive letters, and hear news. Political prisoners in Belarus have to live every day in an environment that seeks to destroy their human qualities, but they bravely remain true to themselves. And they are the national pride of Belarus.
I remember Maksim saying, "In the end, everything will be fine". I know that now it may seem like this is not going to be true anytime soon, but if he believes it, let us believe it too”.
