In July 2020, when a series of arrests had just begun in Belarus, Libereco launched the #WeStandBYyou solidarity campaign. In this campaign, members of European parliaments take on "godparentship" over political prisoners in Belarus. The leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), Aliaksandr Yarashuk, recently had such a "godfather".
Aliaksandr's «Godfather» is Bjørnar Moxnes, a Norwegian politician and activist representing the left-wing political party, Rødt, in the Norwegian parliament.
Today there are 1,443 political prisoners in Belarus. Among them are trade union activists and leaders of democratic trade unions. To date, more than 30 trade unionists are behind bars. Some of them already have their "godfathers", like Yauheni Hovar, Berasneu Vasil, Ihar Mints, Andrei Paheryla, Yanina Malash, Valiantsin Tseranevich, Vatslau Areshka and Aliaksandr Yarashuk.
Among the "godfathers" is Markus Hümpfer, a member of the German Bundestag. Gabriela Heinrich is a member of the German Bundestag. Helge Limburg - Member of the German Bundestag and legal policy spokesperson of the parliamentary group Alliance 90/Greens. Detlef Müller is a member of the German Bundestag. Beate Müller-Gemmeke is an Alliance 90/The Greens member of the German Bundestag. Laurence Fehlmann Rielle - Member of the Swiss National Council and Legal Affairs Commission. Rachael Maskell is a Labour MP in the UK Parliament. Anže Logar is a Slovenian SDP politician and the country's former foreign minister from 2020 to 2022.
As part of the #WeStandBYyou campaign, Libereco calls for solidarity with all people in Belarus who are committed to free and fair elections, democratisation of the country, the rule of law and respect for human rights. All those who stand up for the politically persecuted in Belarus can express their solidarity by using the hashtag #WeStandBYyou on social media and spreading the campaign message there.
You can join the campaign now. Download the poster in PDF or JPG format here! If you are a member of the national parliament and would like to take on the cross education of a prisoner, please contact us directly: info@libereco.org