Dmitry Kaitanaŭ from Kalinkavichy was an activist for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign in his hometown – for this, he was detained by law enforcers on the eve of the election, on 6 August 2020. He spent six days in the Mazyr remand center, even though his wife was in the maternity hospital at that time.
After his release, the activist was summoned to the Investigative Committee for an interrogation. “At first, I was involved in the case as a witness, but after four hours of interrogation, it became clear they did not treat me as a witness and the case was moving towards a criminal charge.”
In January 2021, a person who introduced himself as a KGB officer called him and said there would soon be a trial that Dmitry must attend, without specifying his status. The hearing was postponed several times, but the activist realized he was under threat of criminal charges and that his arrest was only a matter of time.
“Kalinkavichy is a small town, and I began to notice surveillance,” the man recalls. “The watchers were clearly outsiders, not hiding much, ‘staking me out’ near my house, following me around the town. They found me even when I ‘disappeared’. I realized it was most likely because of my phone, which had stayed with the law enforcers for four months after my arrest.”
Frightened by this attention, Dmitry turned to volunteers, left Kalinkavichy for Minsk, where he urgently obtained a visa and the same day – 1 February – he left for Lithuania, and then to Latvia.
“Already on 2 February 2021 I was at the refugee reception center in the former military town of Mucenieki. There I went through quarantine, received refugee ID, and applied for international protection.
“For 15 months I waited for the decision on protection. At first, I lived in the refugee center and did odd jobs. When I got a little back on my feet, I moved to Riga,” Dmitry recalls his path as a political refugee. “I worked in seasonal jobs, with no official employment or insurance.”
Trouble struck in 2024, when the Belarusian slipped on the stairs and got injured: a heel fracture. At first, the doctor underestimated the situation, and when it turned out that a cast and Immobilization was needed, he tried to walk on his own for some time, though he suffered from pain.
Now the Belarusian is recovering from the injury, moving with difficulty, and cannot work.
“I have no state support, the little I had saved for a rainy day has long run out, and debts to acquaintances are growing,” Dmitry laments. “I ask for your solidarity and help for a short period until I can recover and work again. I will be very, very grateful!”
Fundraising Goal
€1700
€800 – rent
€400 – food
€500 – medication and physiotherapy treatment