16 November – Belarusian Solidarity Day

In Belarus today, and in many countries of the world, people will be lighting candles in memory of those who have disappeared without trace under Lukashenko’s regime.

They will also be remembering those who have only (largely) disappeared from the pages of the world press, having been sentenced to periods of imprisonment on fabricated or entirely Soviet charges. 

These are ex-presidential candidate Aleksandr Kazulin, young activists Zmiter Dashkevych from Yourth Front, and activists from the civil initiative on monitoring the elections “Partnerstvo”. Timofei Dranchuk and Nikolai Astreiko, Social Democrat leader Mikola Statkevich, a deputy of parliament from the13th convocation Andrei Klimov, the youth leaders Pavel Severinets and Artur Finkevich, and others.

Please light your candles, but also contact your governments, insist that they place pressure on the Belarusian regime.

It is an outrage that these people are serving sentences for expressing their views. 

It is not a crime to believe in and struggle for a democratic Belarus.

Halya Coynash