Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus: 21 May 2023
Today on 21 May on Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus and on every day we stand with almost 1500 political prisoners in Belarus. 21 May was designated as the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus following the suspicious death of a political activist while incarcerated two years ago.
Almost 1500 individuals are recognized as political prisoners in Belarus. The political prisoners had been incarcerated for more than 400,000 days as of May 12. The number of people who are actually being persecuted and wrongfully detained is substantially higher.
This year we shall stand in solidarity through writing. It is a standard practice of the Belarusian regime to withhold letters from hundreds of political prisoners keeping them incommunicado. That is why this year the human rights defenders behind the organisation of this day have chosen to highlight right to correspondence as the theme.
Please find a list of initiatives, projects and ways to get involved in solidarity with political prisoners in Belarus, not only today but every day:
- The Politvyazynka project is an initiative to posts the portraits and stories of women’s lives before and after imprisonment so that the society does not forget about the repressed in Belarus against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
- On 21 May, the association of the Belarusian diaspora in the Netherlands MARA will host an event during which you can express solidarity with political prisoners by signing letters and postcards. The event will take place all day in the Hague at the Laan van Meerdervoort 269.
- The People’s Embassy of Belarus in Brazil in collaboration with the Freedom Postcards initiative launched the Poems from Prison It collects poems written by political prisoners in Belarus, their translations into different languages, and tells their authors’ stories. Through this project, its creators would like to draw more attention to the problems of repressed people in Belarus and raise money for unjustly imprisoned Belarusians. Donations are collected through the BYSOL platform and redirected to the Dissidentby initiative dedicated to helping political prisoners and their families. In return, donors can receive postcards or other merchandise.
- On Friday May 19th, in Vilnius, Lithuania, a signing of postcards and letters for political prisoners in Belarus will take place at CreateCulture Space, Karmelitų g. 5 from 3 to 5 pm.
- On Saturday May 20th, Belarusians in Bremen (Germany), Razam Bremen, and activists from Salidarnast will gather to create postcards and write letters to political prisoners on the eve of Political Prisoners Day.
- Share this video guide about writing letters to political prisoners in Belarus.
Do not forget to express your support on social media with the hashtags #FreeThemAll #WeStandByYou #freepoliticalprisoners #StandWithBelarus
To find out more and follow the actions on social media follow:
