Hello! I am a former political prisoner. In 2020, I was shocked by the election results, went out to protest in my city. For which I was later sent to prison.
I was convicted of participating in mass riots and was first given «chemistry»*. There I repeatedly faced pressure, forced to do things that humiliated my honor and dignity. But I refused. After some time, violations of the regime accumulated, and from «chemistry» I was transferred to a colony. There I caught a bad cold in the winter, lost eight kilograms in three weeks. They treated me with one aspirin a day. Only when it got really bad, they gave me an antibiotic.
Letters from relatives and the desire not to give up helped me survive the time behind bars. My sentence affected my wife more: during this time, she really gave in due to stress. In addition, she was left with two daughters. The eldest understood what was happening, wrote letters. The youngest was very upset with me, she didn't want to talk to me for a long time — she thought I had abandoned her by going to «chemistry».
After my release, I was afraid of being detained again, so I decided to go to Poland. I've been here for about six months now, I've applied for international protection. I'm slowly getting settled in, I've found a job. But separation from my family is very hard. In addition, my wife works at a state enterprise, her contract is ending soon. But it won't be extended — they promised this even before the January «elections», when she refused to sign for Lukashenko.
So we decided that it was time for them to move too. But my salary here is small, and my savings are small. In addition, I rent a room, and for four of us we will clearly need a larger place to live. The girls need to be placed in school, and my wife needs to find a job. So I want to ask you for help at first, so that we have something to start with.
*«Chemistry» is a type of punishment where the convict is sent to an open-type correctional facility. People live in dormitory-like buildings. They are under constant supervision and are required to follow the internal regulations, while paying for their accommodation, buying food at their own expense, cooking, washing and cleaning themselves. All convicts are required to work, often they are sent to low-skilled and low-paid work.
How much is needed?
€4000
€2500 — rent for an apartment for two months and a deposit
€700 — food and household expenses for the family for two months
€350 — expenses for children, preparation for school
€250 — Polish lessons for my wife so she can find a job
€200 — fuel costs (I work as a courier)