Freedom to political prisoners!

Rallies of solidarity with the demand to release prisoners of the KGB jail were held all over the world on January 16. despite of raids, arrests, interrogations and intimidation by the KGB, pro-democracy activists demanded the dictator immediate release of the nation’s leaders and of the people who are fighting for freedom and independence of their country.

In Minsk “European Belarus” campaign has held a series of pickets. Activists were holding portraits of political prisoners.

All over the country “European Belarus” activists reminded to Belarusians about the prisoners of the KGB jail. Portraits of Andrei Sannikov and Iryna Khalip were placed to the streets of Vitsebsk, Natalya Radzina – in Dzyarzhynsk, Alyaksandr Atroshchankau – in Mahilyou, Zmitser Bandarenka – in Salihorsk. In Maladzechna and Barysau streamers “Freedom to Kobets!” and “Freedom to Khalip!” appeared. Activists plan to continue such protests with the demand to release all political prisoners.

In the Hague (the Natherlands) a rally of solidarity with the families of the forcibly abducted Belarusians, with Belarusians arrested in Minsk on December 19 and in the next days and then imprisoned, was held. The rally was organized by the civil initiative “We Remember”.

A demonstration of solidarity was traditionally held in front of the building of the Belarusian Embassy. Participants of the rally held a poster with portraits of the disappeared Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and Zmitser Zavadski and the words: “Forcibly abducted in Belarus”. They also held numerous posters with slogans: “Return parents to children!”, “Freedom to prisoners of conscience!”, “Freedom to all political prisoners!” Protesters had white-red-white scarves, which had been received from the European Parliament. The rally lasted for an hour.

The day in the Netherlands was fine. There were a huge number of passers-by. Many of them stopped near the participants of the rally, read the slogans attentively, asked questions and expressed their solidarity.

In London on the Day of Solidarity about 50 persons gathered near the Belarusian Embassy. The rally was organized by representatives of the Belarusian diaspora: members of the Association of Belarusians in the Great Britain, and Anglo-Belarusian Society. Participants demanded immediate release of all political prisoners and an end of intimidation and terror campaign in the country. Besides, participants of the rally demanded to hold a repeat election without Lukashenka. “This person has no legal and moral right to stand for a post of the persident,” the picketers stated,

Father Alexander Nadson and Andrei Sannikov’s sister Iryna Bahdanava delivered a speech during the picket.

In addition, the demonstrators paid the tribute to the memory of the persons who had disappered or died under mysterious circumstances in the 1990ies: Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka, Anatol Krasouski, Zmitser Zavadski, Henadz Karpenka, Anatoly Maysenya.

In the end of the rally participants read out several Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu’s poems.

On Warsaw's Castle Square a human chain with portraits of the imprisoned Belarusian oppositional activists was formed. Passers-by were given leaflets with information about the recent events in Minsk, and most people expressed solidarity with the political prisoners in Belarus. Several dozens of people including representatives of “European Belarus” have taken part in the meeting.