Trade union activist sentenced to 8 years has almost completely lost his sight in prison
The 71-year-old activist of Belarus’s independent trade union movement, like many of his colleagues, was detained on 19 April 2022. Nine months later, he was convicted under three articles of the Criminal Code and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in a high-security penal colony. During his time behind bars, Vatslau Areshka’s eyesight has deteriorated severely: alongside other health problems, he has now almost completely lost his sight.
Recently, the Viasna Human Rights Centre, citing another political prisoner, reported that Vatslau Areshka has to feel his way around his prison unit.
Aliaksandr Yarashuk, leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions and a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization, told Salidarnasts that Areshka’s case exposes the lawlessness, inhumanity and vindictiveness of the current authorities.
“Today, Vatslau Areshka is, in my view, one of the most frequently mentioned political prisoners who remain behind bars. And the reason is clear: few of us have had to endure the kind of suffering and torment that our comrade and colleague is going through.
“An entirely innocent man, who committed no crime, was sentenced to eight years in prison and is still not being released despite the fact that he has almost completely lost his sight. This is despite the fact that his so-called ‘accomplices’ — REP Trade Union Chair Vasil Berasneu and former Chair Hienadz Fiadynich — have long since been released: Vasil two years ago, Hienadz almost a year ago.
“What is the logic behind all this? Why is Vatslau considered so dangerous to the regime? Why is he still being held and condemned to such terrible suffering? Nothing comes to mind except one explanation: because the regime believes it can keep anyone in prison for as long as it wishes.
“Because it believes it can abuse any political prisoner, including the most vulnerable. Because, for an abuser, there is gratification in watching the victim suffer while feeling completely unrestricted and immune from punishment.
“It is impossible not to ask where so many sadists came from in a Belarusian society traditionally seen as tolerant and humane. The answer is obvious. This is the result of 32 years of negative selection carried out by a brutal regime.
“They are still convinced that things will remain this way forever. We, however, are convinced that the day will come — and it is not so far away — when they will have to answer for everything. For everyone killed in prisons and penal colonies, everyone driven to their death, everyone subjected to inhuman suffering and torment. And that includes our friend Vatslau Areshka.”
Viktoryia Lavontseva
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