Good afternoon!
My close person is now in detention in connection with a high-profile political case in Belarus. I am indirectly connected with this case and as long as my relative is held hostage by the regime, I cannot name either the case we are connected with or my name. This political case was widely covered in the media. When my name was mentioned publicly in connection with this case, we did not wait for detention and the whole family flew to Georgia.
Once in Georgia, my wife, children and I applied for international protection. We waited 22 months for a decision and were denied. The refusal was justified by the fact that there were no grounds for me to receive international protection and that everything was calm in the Republic of Belarus and there were no mass violations of human rights. By that time our passports had expired, it was dangerous for us to go to Belarus, and I was forced to appeal.
Apart from this situation with my close person, it's dangerous for me to be in Belarus myself for my activity. I have long been involved in social and political life in one way or another. In 2005 I joined Charter'97, in 2006 I took part in the protests on Ploshchy in a tent city, in 2010 I took to the streets of Minsk for peaceful protests against election fraud, helped the beaten Sannikov to get away from the crackdown. In 2020 I was physically not in Belarus, but I was telling about the events in Belarus through my Instagram.
My family and I live in Batumi, and I have to travel regularly to Tbilisi to deal with the appeal. Our financial situation is already bad. Everything I manage to earn goes to my family.
When I started the appeal procedure, I realized that I could not cope financially. During the last 3 months I have already traveled to Tbilisi 4 times, as I had to be present in person. There are many more such trips ahead, and without your help I will not be able to cover the costs of translation of documents, notary services, traveling to Tbilisi and back, legal consultations. I am faced with a choice without a choice: either to spend my modest income on the appeal procedure in Tbilisi, or on accommodation and food for my family in Batumi.
I very much ask you to support me in my struggle. I cannot cope without your help. Each of your donations will be not only financial, but also moral support that I am not alone.
I will be grateful to everyone for any amount you can afford!
How much is needed?
€2000
€1300 — translator and notary services
I now need to have notarized translations into Georgian of all the key evidence I can gather that it is not safe for me to return to Belarus.
€400 — legal advice
In order to conduct a competent appeal procedure, I need to consult with lawyers and prove that there are massive human rights violations in Belarus and that it is dangerous for me to go there in particular.
€300 — transportation costs Tbilisi-Batumi-Tbilisi and rent of temporary accommodation
The distance from Batumi to Tbilisi is about 350 km. I don't have time to get to establishments during the daylight hours, I'm usually on my feet all day, so I need to rent some accommodation to spend the night.