On February 9, 2024, which marked exactly one year since politician Mikalai Statkevich was kept incommunicado in the regime’s prison, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya joined the international campaign “Show Statkevich!” launched by the politician’s family and friends. Unfortunately, there are many other political prisoners in Belarus who also do not receive news from the outside and have no communication with their families. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on Belarusians to continue supporting political prisoners:
“It’s been 363 days since our letters last reached Maryia Kalesnikava. It’s been 369 for Maksim Znak. 372 for Viktar Babaryka. 358 for Ihar Losik. I haven’t heard from my husband, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, for 341 days. It’s been a very long time since the last reports about their whereabouts or their health. Many more people may be in the same situation – we may simply have never heard of them.
The regime expects the incommunicado detention to make people forget Belarusian heroes. But this will never happen. No matter what, we will keep fighting for each of them. Politicians, media, and activists will keep pressuring the regime to restore communication with them and ultimately release every prisoner. And Belarusians, as always, will keep showing solidarity.
Dear friends, please, support political prisoners in Belarus and their families in any way you can: write letters and send parcels, support them through donations if it is safe for you, and care for the families of political prisoners through foundations or directly. In this matter, no action is small. Everything you do brings us closer to the moment when prisoners will see their loved ones again, and we will be able to thank them in person for their courage and bravery”.
