Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Every time I hear about what’s happening in the prisons, my heart shatters. Behind every ‘ordinary day’ reported from the women’s prison is a politically imprisoned Belarusian woman’s story of suffering and hardship.
This morning, I heard about Maryia Kalesnikava, Nasta Loika, and others. Sadly, we’ve come to a point where we’re relieved to hear any news at all — especially about those, like Maryia, who are kept incommunicado. My first thought was, ‘Thank God, Maryia is alive!’ But then the harsh reality sets in – these aren’t stories about life; they’re about daily torture.
Almost every piece of news we get about political prisoners is about abuse and torture. The regime is constantly trying to break their spirit by cutting off contact with loved ones, putting pressure on their families, depriving them of basic hygiene, manipulating their personal information, and creating unbearable prison conditions.
It’s infuriating to think that these women have been fed rotten potatoes for nearly a month. And the prison staff has been giving them bags of rotten apples instead of food parcels that could help them stay healthy and strong. It’s enraging to hear about the cruelty of the prison medical staff, who torment these women instead of providing them with care. It brings tears to my eyes when I hear that our letters are torn up right before Maryia’s eyes – because every word carries so much warmth and support. But you know what? Even if Maryia can’t read a single line, she still knows that the regime’s claim that ‘you’ve all been forgotten, no one cares about you’ is just a lie.
Dear friends, please, keep supporting political prisoners and writing to them. Even if the letters don’t get through. Even if the prison staff tear them up right before our loved ones’ eyes. Even if it seems like the effort is pointless. Because each letter is a symbol of hope, a sign of our solidarity. It’s our quiet yet essential way of saying, ‘We are with you’”.
