In the heart of Europe, in Belarus, mothers have been turned into hostages of the regime.
What is their crime? The desire for freedom, justice, and the right to a future for their children.
Today, at least 27 female political prisoners in Lukashenko’s regime prisons are mothers of minor children. Their fates are deeply intertwined not only with their personal struggles but also with the lives of their 53 minor children, who have been left without maternal care. These 27 women represent just a fraction of the women political prisoners in Belarus, but each one is a mother whose heart is broken by the separation from her children, whose eyes are filled with tears and pain for the stolen years of their children's childhood.
Each mother behind bars represents a story of hundreds of sleepless nights and children waiting at the door, asking the same question over and over: "When will mom come back?" And there is no answer. Only silence and fear.
Imagine the life of a child who suddenly loses their mother, and with her, the sense of security, love, and support. These children are forced to grow up too soon. Instead of bedtime stories, they hear anxious news that their mother has not been released again. Their childhood has been stolen by the Lukashenko regime, which has taken away the most important person in their lives — their mother.
These mothers are denied the chance to see their children grow, to hear their laughter, or to comfort them in difficult moments. The daily horror they endure is indescribable. They fear that their children will forget how their voice sounds or how their embrace feels. This is a pain that cannot be eased, a cry from the heart that is ignored by both the Lukashenko regime and, unfortunately, the global democratic community.
These women are not criminals, they are fighters. They have given up their freedom for the sake of their children’s future and for the future of Belarus. But how long will their children suffer while their mothers remain behind bars? How many more tears must be shed?
Every mother dreams of returning to her children, of being there for the important moments in their lives. Every minute in prison is a lost moment that can never be reclaimed.
Let us not remain indifferent to this tragedy.
We call on the global community to take notice of this suffering and to do everything possible to free these women who have sacrificed their freedom for the future of their country.
These 27 mothers, these 53 children, need our help:
1. ABLAB Hanna | АБЛАБ Анна, sentenced to 11 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
2. BAHOVIK Ivanna | БОГОВИК Иванна sentenced to 2 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
3. DAMASTOI Viktoryia | ДОМОСТОЙ Виктория in pre-trial detention: 3 children
4. DANILIUK Tatsiana | ДАНИЛЮК Татьяна in pre-trial detention: 3 children
5. DAVYDULINA Natallia | ДАВЫДУЛИНА Наталья in pre-trial detention: 5 children
6. KANAVALAVA Антанина | КОНОВАЛОВА Антонина sentenced to 5,5 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
7. KANEUSKAYA Tatsiana | КАНЕВСКАЯ Татьяна sentenced to 6 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
8. KAZAKOVA Viktoryia | КАЗАКОВА Виктория sentenced to 1 yr in a penal colony: 2 children
9. KLIAVETS Irena | КЛЕВЕЦ Ирена sentenced to 6 yrs in a penal colony: 4 children
10. LAPTANOVICH Yuliya | ЛАПТАНОВИЧ Юлия sentenced to 4 yrs 9 mnts in a penal colony: 3 children
11. LAZARCHYK Alena | ЛАЗАРЧЫК Елена sentenced to 8 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
12. LAZARENKA Anastasiya | ЛАЗАРЕНКО Анастасия sentenced to 6 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
13. MAUSHUK Alena | МОВШУК Елена sentenced to 6 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
14. PAHADAEVA Iryna | ПОГАДАЕВА Ирина sentenced to 3 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
15. PYSHNIK Hanna | ПЫШНИК Анна sentenced to 3 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
16. SHABLINSKAYA-IVANOVA Katsiaryna | ШАБЛИНСКАЯ-ИВАНОВА Екатерина sentenced to 2 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
17. SHARENDA-PANASIUK Palina | ШАРЕНДО-ПАНАСЮК Полина sentenced to 4 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
18. SHCHYRAKOVA Larysa | ЩИРЯКОВА Лариса sentenced to 3,5 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
19. SHEUCHYK Volha | ШЕВЧИК Ольга sentenced to unknown yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
20. SIARHEYENKA Alesia | СЕРГЕЕНКО Алеся sentenced to 3,5 YRS in a penal colony: 2 children
21. STSIOPINA Natallia | СТЕПИНА Наталья sentenced to 2 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
22. SUSHA Kseniya | СУША Ксения in pre-trial detention: 2 children
23. USPENSKAYA Maryia | УСПЕНСКАЯ Мария in compulsory psychological treatment: 1 child
24. VAITSIAKHOVICH Volha | ВОЙТЕХОВИЧ Ольга sentenced to 11 yrs in a penal colony: 1 child
25. VOLKAVA Zhanna | ВОЛКОВА Жанна sentenced to 3 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
26. YAFREMENKA Alena | ЕФРЕМЕНКО Елена sentenced to unknown yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
27. ZHALABKOVA Volha | ЖЕЛОБКОВА Ольга sentenced to 2 yrs in a penal colony: 2 children
#Mothers #BehindBars
#FreeBelarusWomen #FreePoliticalPrisoners #FreeThemAll
#UrgentAppeal
Women Political Prisoners in Belarus (belaruswomen.org)
Project "Urgent Appeals" (belaruswomen.org)