Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Every time I hear about the abuse women face in Belarusian prisons, I can’t hold back tears. My heart is sinking today after I learned about the worsening health condition of political prisoner Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk. She suffers from chronic pancreatitis — a disease that requires constant medical supervision and a strict diet. Instead, Palina — a mother of two children — is being denied medical care and is kept in dire conditions, putting her life at serious risk.
The regime is just as mercilessly torturing Maryia Kalesnikava. Due to physical and psychological abuse behind bars, she has lost weight to 45 kg with a height of 1.75 m. She needs a special diet because prison food is equivalent to a death sentence for her. Meanwhile, by isolating Masha and denying communication not only with the outside world but even with her closest loved ones, the regime only aggravates her already critical condition.
Emotional and physical pain is what all our political prisoners are going through daily. And this is not just someone’s personal tragedy but the pain all of Belarus feels. Unfortunately, we cannot relieve this pain right now but we can alleviate it. Please, continue writing letters, supporting the families of political prisoners, and helping in every possible way to at least slightly improve the situation. I am confident that our efforts will not be in vain”.
