Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I refuse to believe that this is the sixth Belarusian to die in prison. It’s unbearable even to imagine the conditions people endure behind bars if their incarceration leads to such tragedies. The pain of thinking about those who have perished in captivity never leaves me – especially because for over a year, I have known nothing about the fate of my husband.
Aliaksandr had been charged absurdly with insulting Lukashenka. And over this, he lost the most precious thing – his life. This is yet another evidence of the regime’s cruelty. The declared cause of death – ischemic heart disease – cannot justify this. Every person in custody has the right to proper care and health protection. Obviously, this had not been provided to Aliaksandr. Just as assistance had not been provided earlier to the people who died in prisons like Ales Pushkin, Ihar Lednik, and Vitold Ashurak. Just as it is not being provided today to Ryhor Kastusiou, Maryia Kalesnikava, and Ales Bialiatski, whose condition deteriorates with each passing day.
Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. And defending this right is a priority for countries that call themselves democratic. Obviously, the regime has erased these words from its vocabulary. And it is willing to kill people again and again just to demonstrate its impunity.
I express my deepest condolences to Aliaksandr’s relatives and loved ones. I call on our European partners and the entire international community to take decisive action. People are dying in Belarusian prisons, and we must do everything we can to initiate the process of releasing those who have ended up behind bars due to political persecution”.
