Natallia Radzina: Give Political Prisoners The Millions You Spend On Tsikhanouskaya's Protection

How can you think about your comfort when so many Belarusians are in trouble?

Belarusian opposition leader Mikola Statkevich has disappeared since September 11, 2025 (refusing to leave the country ) as part of the deportation of political prisoners to Lithuania agreed to by the United States.

The editor-in-chief of Charter97.org Natallia Radzina published a post on "Facebook", in which she sounded the alarm about the condition of Mikola Statkevich.

"Today is exactly one month. A month since nothing is known about the fate of Mikola Statkevich, who refused deportation from Belarus and preferred prison, but did not leave his homeland. And this is indeed the deed of a leader and a Man. Who knows what hell he is going through now with a sick heart...

At the same time, Tsikhanouskaya, who calls herself "national leader," is hysterical about the loss of her security guard worth a million euros a year in safe democratic Lithuania and is looking for other fools willing to shell out that kind of money for her upkeep. Instead of giving this million to help the same political prisoners, who are thrown out of the country in one prison robe.

Are you still interested in the question, who is the real leader?" - wrote the Belarusian journalist on October 11.

Natallia Radzina told in an interview with the site Charter97.org about what's happening with the leader of the Belarusian opposition and what should be done to save him and other political prisoners:

- Indeed, it's been a month since we know nothing about the fate of Mikola Statkevich - the real leader of the Belarusian opposition. There have been only a few statements of concern from European structures. For example, I haven't seen any statements from the US presidential administration, which is currently engaged in a dialog with Lukashenko's regime regarding the release of political prisoners. And it is American diplomats, since they are in the process of negotiations, who should be primarily concerned about the situation with Mikola Statkevich.

It seems that they are afraid to anger Lukashenko by an unnecessary word or action. Otherwise he won't release other political prisoners. But it only shows that they don't understand who Lukashenko is. And a dictator understands only the language of force. If you don't give him tough conditions regarding the release of all political prisoners, regarding the fact that people should not be deported from the country, but should be allowed to stay in their homeland, you won't get anything from this dictator.

We see that they release some political prisoners, but then put three times more people in prison. How long will these negotiations with Lukashenko's regime last? Will they release the most famous ones and forget about all the others?

I am convinced that one should talk to Lukashenko harshly, demand from him to stop deportation of political prisoners, immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience and stop repression against the population. If this is not done, no sanctions can be lifted from Lukashenko's regime. This will look like encouragement of further abuse of Belarusians.

- Further in your post you mention Tsikhanouskaya's reaction to the reduction of physical security by Lithuania. What is indicative of this situation?

- I couldn't help but pay attention to this contrast. On the one hand - Mikola Statkevich, who sacrifices his life for the Belarusians. And don't tell me that this is a senseless self-sacrifice. This is a heroic act, by which Mikola Statkevich has inspired Belarusians both at home and abroad.

I recently spoke to a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and he said: "I have once again respected the Belarusian opposition." That is, Mikola Statkevich has returned honor to the Belarusian democratic forces.

And at the same time, against this background, when we don't know what's wrong with the 69-year-old opposition politician, when we worry about his health - whether he's alive, because he has serious heart problems, arrhythmia - it's not a joke, it's really very dangerous - there is information that Lithuania has decided to reduce the cost of maintenance of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. And it becomes the main news in all Belarusian media.

In my opinion, the Lithuanian authorities made a natural and absolutely logical step after five years since the 2020 presidential election. But it caused a violent reaction from Tihanovska's office. Frankly, it's just shameful for these people. She is not being abandoned to her fate, she will be guarded by police, she remains in the status of a special guest in Lithuania. Yes, there won't be those limousines with blinkers, there won't be round-the-clock security, there won't be three bodyguards around. So what's the problem? I see that for these people it is, first of all, not a question of security, but of status. And no more than that.

How else can you emphasize your "importance" if you don't have three bodyguards around, you won't ride in motorcades and live in a house provided by the Lithuanian government?

The situation is really absurd. Such a thing has never happened in the Belarusian opposition. For 28 years of working as a journalist I knew all the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, including the first leader of independent Belarus Stanislau Shushkevich. And no one had security guards, no one lived at the expense of a foreign state.

- You meet opposition leaders and dissidents from other countries - Asia, Latin America. Have you ever met such security?"

- No, never. I participate in the World Liberty Congress, where dissidents from all over the world come. And none of them go under guard. We who found ourselves in exile after the 2010 presidential election, the same presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov who won the election against Lukashenko, did not receive any security or housing from European governments. We all live in modest rented apartments, take public transportation, no one guards us. Because we are on the territory of free, democratic and safe states. We have political asylum, and that is enough. In general, democrats are modest people, while dictators love to live in luxury. And it is striking that only Lukashenko and Tsikhanouskaya have security guards and motorcades with limousines among Belarusians.

- Lithuanian media LRT cites data that Lithuania spent about one million euros a year on Tsikhanouskaya's security.

- The sums are impressive. A million euros a year! Plus, as far as I understand, more spending on VIP lounges in airports. That is, we can not fly in economy class - we must fly in business class, and with a visit to VIP-lounges. What is there to talk about? All this is happening against the backdrop of the fact that today a huge number of people are released from prisons and thrown out of the country abroad without belongings and money.

And against this background - people who spend such money on their own comfort. This money should be given to political prisoners! How can one think about one's comfort when so many Belarusians are in trouble. Imagine how many people could be supported who are thrown out of the country, who arrive in one prison robe, with broken health. They can't go to work right away, they have nowhere to live, they are physically exhausted. Give this money to them. How many people could be supported in the first months! I'm not even talking about refugees - how many people keep fleeing from Belarus. Among them are the elderly, the disabled, people who need help.

That's what money should be spent on - on supporting vulnerable groups, not on yourselves, if you want to be called leaders of the opposition. But that doesn't seem to be the case with these people.

- People are being released the people who largely prepared the 2020 protests and were direct participants in those events. Can the situation change? Can these people take leadership and become an alternative to those structures that have discredited themselves?

- They can and should, of course. Because they have the moral right to do so, and today they have serious political weight.

They have people's trust. I believe that political prisoners are the future of the Belarusian nation. I always said when I was asked who the leaders of the Belarusian opposition were: they are political prisoners, they are in prison now.

And I am sure that former political prisoners will become deputies of the Belarusian parliament, mayors of Belarusian cities in the future.

Some of them will become president of Belarus, if we still have this post. Because they are people of principle, people who have suffered for their views. And they will never allow the return of dictatorship in Belarus. Because they themselves know how terrible it is.

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