Yauhen Afnagel: “Release of political prisoners is victory of our solidarity”

“Opposition has got a very important victory, as we see what we have been fighting for the last few years, release of all political prisoners who had been kept in prisons,” stated an activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Yauhen Afnagel.

“Release of the political prisoners has taken place only because of the solidarity campaign, because Belarusians and our friends abroad were fighting for those who stayed behind bars. And the first place should be given to rallies held in our country regularly. They have made the issue of Belarusian prisoners of conscience to be constantly given prominence in democratic countries. It is important to understand that the pressure of the international community is possible only when internal pressure exists, when the opposition in the country is fighting for release of its people,” the youth activist is convinced.

“Over the recent years Belarusians gathered on the streets regularly in order to express their solidarity with those who are behind the bars, disseminated information about prisoners of conscience. Many young activists were arrested for their demands to release political prisoners. Every month on the 16th day Days of Solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners were held. The whole world knew that there are people in Belarus who are imprisoned for their political views. That is why the regime had nothing to do but to release Alyaksandr Kazulin, Andrei Kim and Syarhei Parsyukevich. We were looking forward to it and we believed in it because we were struggling for it. The release of political prisoners is a victory of our solidarity,” Yauhen Afnagel believes.