Maryana Hruzdzilovich: “Today it’s important to show solidarity with those who suffer from repressions”

A teacher Maryanna Hruzdzilovich who was fired for the Freedom Day information, joined the hunger strike of solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners.

In an interview to the Charter’97 press-centre the former teacher of the educational centre SOL Minsk Maryana Hruzdzilovich explained her decision to announce a hunger strike by protest against repressions of the Belarusian authorities.

“I declared the hunger strike on April 5, when I took part in the rally of solidarity in October Suqare,” Maryana Hruzdzilovich says. “I am sorry for Autukhovich who is on hunger strike in the remand prison. I know that he has health problems. And I want to show solidarity. By my hunger strike I want to protest against politically motivated persecution I faced”.

Maryana Hruzdzilovich worked as a teacher in a commercial educational centre “SOL Minsk” since August 1998. On March 25 she was fired for telling students about the Freedom Day during the classes. After the public leant about that thanks to information in independent mass media, on March 31 the teacher was reinstated in work. However, as Maryana Hruzdzilovich recalls, she managed to work one day only, and after that she wrote a letter of resignation from her position due to a desire to terminate her employment.

“I was reinstated in my job, but such conditions had been created for me, that I couldn’t stay there any longer,” Maryana Hruzdzilovich says. “On April 3 I talked to the director. We parted as I was reinstated in the job, but wasn’t told when I was to start work. On April 6, at 4.30 p.m. I received a telegram that I should appear at work. And classes start at 4.10 p.m. That means non-attendance right after being reinstated. Besides, atmosphere at work became very tense. In a personal conversation a manager of the centre event told me: “You’d better teach children English instead of going to the Freedom Day”. That means that I still was expelled from work for my political views. I think that it is very important to show solidarity with those who suffer from repressions”.

As we have informed, rallies of solidarity with political prisoners are held in Minsk daily. Belarusians gather in the streets to show support to political prisoners. One of them, M. Autukhovich, is on indefinite hunger strike which pose a serious threat to his life. The prisoner of conscience continues the hunger strike for the 20th day.