The student's trial is taking place in Belarus. Yesterday they said their “last words”. I want you to read them. All of these young people are bright & intelligent - the complete opposite to those who are judging them. They are the future, which Lukashenka is trying to destroy.
Alana Hebrymariam, Sviatlana @Tsihanouskaya representative on the Youth:
«I am against violence. I supported the students who strived for a dialogue with the university administration to be heard. I won't admit the guilt for the crimes I never committed & don't regret it.»
Ksenia Syramolat:
«If you, the High Court, believe that it is criminal to follow the Constitution, it’s criminal not to lie, it’s criminal to study hard, it’s criminal to help people, then I will understand the motivation of the verdict & all the 8 months in the detention center»
Jana Arabeyka:
«Today I am celebrating 8 months since our detention. We spent 243 days in a place full of darkness, fear, and horror. But these 8 months could not convince me that fear destroys trust. Therefore, and for a hundred other reasons, my last word is «freedom».
Anastasia Bulybenka:
«I'm not a criminal. I am 19 years old, I am far from politics, but there are things that you understand at any age. I protested against the authorities, I am protecting against violence, humiliation, lawlessness, & lies. Because I can't turn my back on it.»
Ilya Trakhtenberg:
«What is the meaning of this criminal case? To show students that they are being brainwashed by a bunch of villains, students themselves are unable to act jointly. Regardless of what awaits me, I will remain a free person, because I can think independently»
Tatsiana Yakelchik:
«I did everything that is in the accusation following my conscience, indifference, and compassion. And these actions were not criminal. I have never violated the legislation of the Republic of Belarus.»
Victorya Hrankouskaya:
«I will not turn a blind eye to violence. My grandmother always said that violence & humiliation in the family should not be tolerated. Belarus is my home, and the people in it are like a big family.»
Kasia Budko:
«I love Belarus with all its pros and cons, even after eight months in prison. I am sorry for everything that is happening in our country. The most promising, excellent among us, students, are forced to leave, or...well imprisoned.»

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More from @franakviacorka

2 Jun
Stsiapan Latypau spent 51 days in a so-called "press-hata".This is a soundproofed torture chamber - no one can hear the screams of a person, that is suffering mentally & physically there. Stsiapan let us know what he experienced by the only mean left to him - by cutting his veins
Before this incident, we could only guess what political prisoners are going through behind bars. They are very restricted in what they can tell. Sometimes we had seen parts of letters just cut off - because prison's censors don't want us to know the truth.
For all Belarusians, this pressure is extremely hard to stand. People are dying in prisons of the health conditions, they had never experienced, like Vitold Ashurak. They are committing suicide, because of the harsh interrogation processes - like 18 years old Dzmitry Stakhousky.
Read 4 tweets
1 Jun
BREAKING! Belarus Political prisoner and activist Stsyapan Latypau testified about torture in prison and cut his throat in court during in the trial. He is in critical condition. In the video, police and medics carry Latypau out of the court building.
Terrible consequences of tortures in Belarus. Ashurak last week, and now - Latypau. Crimes against humanity in the center of Europe. Stop the terrorist regime now! Image
Stsiapan Latypau is a Square of Changes resident. On September 15, 2020, he was brutally detained and heavily beaten after asking Lukashenka’s policemen to show their IDs. He was subjected to torture at the detention centre.
Read 5 tweets
23 May
BREAKING! The regime landed @Ryanair plane, which was flying from Athens to Vilnius,in order to arrest the famous Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich. In Belarus, he faces the death penalty. Belarus has seized a plane,put passengers in danger, in order to repress an opponent ImageImage
Raman Pratasevich is a Belarusian journalist and @belamova editor. He actively covered the events of the 2020 election campaign and the subsequent protests. Belarusian security forces started several criminal cases against him, the KGB put him on the terrorist list. Image
By the @nexta_tv Mig-29 fighter jet was used to "lead" the RyanAir aircraft to Minsk's airport. Reasons for such actions? Lukashenka's media report the plane was landed because of the conflict between a crew member and a passenger. Before that, they told there was a bomb. Image
Read 9 tweets
21 May
Devastating news - Political prisoner Vitold Ashurak died today in the Shklou colony. Political prisoners are marked with yellow tags there. There was no letter from him in the last 2 weeks, but in his last letter he said: "I will be released in 2021". My deepest condolences. Image
Personally to me, Vitold Ashurak is a real hero, the regime is guilty of his untimely death. He would have been with his family. Even in prison, he remained free. He wrote in a letter: "If my peaceful protest is considered a crime by conspirators, it means I did everything right" ImageImageImageImage
This is the peaceful protest in Lida on August 9, on the elections night when Tsikhanouskaya has reportedly won. He was sentenced to five years in jail for participating in this ABSOLUTELY PEACEFUL protest against rigged elections. He died for his dream to live in free Belarus.
Read 5 tweets
5 Apr
(thread) Europe did not see such scale of repressions since the Greek junta's dictatorship ("black colonels") in Greece in the 1970s. Today human rights defenders identified at least 1002 names of prisoners who under investigation or already convicted for political reasons.
HR activists identify 324 persons as political prisoners. 2,407 "extremist cases" have been filed. "Extremist orientation" now means all cases of a political nature. Many prisoners, incl the husband of @Tsihanouskaya, or M. Statkevich are in prison for almost one year already.
Twelve journalists and 14 bloggers remain behind bars, some of them are winners of national and international journalism awards. Almost all independent newspapers and independent TV and radio stations in the country have stopped publishing since 1996.
Read 5 tweets
25 Mar
My, this is terrifying. If you are to walk down the street in Minsk with a camera, this is what would happen to you. #StandWithBelarus
The elegant lady on the video is Nina Bahinskaya — our dear resistance hero who deserves to be celebrated on the Freedom Day. #StandWithBelarus ⚪️🔴⚪️
More than 200 detainees on Freedom Day in Belarus. At least 169 detained in Minsk, dozens detained in other cities, according to @viasna96 . Internal Troops entered Minsk, city was half-paralyzed. Many activists and journalists detained preventively.
Read 4 tweets

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