Nikita Zolotarev was arrested at the age of 16, after which he ended up in intensive care and then in a remand centre. He spent almost six years behind bars in a juvenile correctional facility and prison, where he was beaten, tortured, and denied the necessary medication for epilepsy. In March 2026, Nikita was forcibly deported from the country to Lithuania.
My name is Yury Averkov. I am 54 years old. I am a former political prisoner, and I now live in Warsaw. I never prepared for exile or imagined that I would have to start my life over in another country. I was simply forced out of Belarus without my belongings or any money. With my long list of health conditions, I have been unable to find work and am now asking for support.
Vadzim Kaushou was imprisoned after someone reported him to the KGB, where his health seriously deteriorated. After his release, he faced the threat of renewed persecution. Now, at the age of 55, he is trying to rebuild his life in a new country.
Elena Meshcheryakova nearly died from COVID, survived repression by law enforcers, and was forced to leave the country. When Russia attacked Ukraine, she became a volunteer, but now she needs help herself.
A Belarusian man broke his leg and is asking for support because he is unable to work and has spent all of his savings on medical treatment and rent.
Elena Fomina lives in Poland with her son. Although he is now an adult, he has had a disability since childhood and requires constant care. Elena has lost her stable job, takes on occasional work, and looks after her son full-time. She needs support to continue his treatment, keep their home, and overcome their financial crisis.
Tatiana is 54 years old. Before her arrest, she had a stable life: she worked as a chief accountant, owned her own apartment, and had just finished paying off her mortgage. But in March 2023, she was sentenced to four and a half years in a penal colony under nine politically motivated criminal charges.
My name is Dan. I am a transgender man from Minsk. Before leaving Belarus, I drew comics, studied tattooing, and dreamed of becoming a professional tattoo artist. Today my biggest dream is much simpler: to have a safe place to live, access to the medication I need, and finally start living instead of constantly struggling to survive.
Furniture assembler Aliaksei Sanchuk joined the protest movement in 2020. Together with his friends, he organized unusual protest actions and was one of the drummers who set the rhythm of the protests.