A former political prisoner was evacuated from the country after his release. He needs support to rebuild his life in exile and reunite with his family.
“Sometimes a situation puts you in a position where you have to choose: help or walk away.
I witnessed law enforcers beating a teenage boy. It happened during the 2020 protests. First and foremost, I am a father, and I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. At that moment, all I could think about was that the boy in front of me could have been my own child.
A month later, I was detained and sentenced to four years in a correctional facility. I served the entire sentence. As a political prisoner, I faced systematic psychological pressure and physical violence from prison staff. Those years of abuse changed me profoundly, but they could not take away the most important thing: my desire to return to freedom and to my family.
When I was released from the correctional facility, the BYSOL team helped me leave Belarus. Like everyone else, I faced difficulties in forced exile, but for a long time I deliberately did not ask for help. I thought I would definitely manage on my own. I looked for work, took any opportunities I could find, and believed I would be able to get back on my feet and bring my loved ones over. More than anything in the world, I want to hug my family.
But life turned out differently, and today I have to admit that I can no longer get through this stage on my own. To find stable employment, I need to learn a new profession and complete the necessary training. Without a steady job, I could lose the ability to pay rent. And without a rented apartment, I will have nowhere to bring my wife and child. I cannot leave them in Belarus, where they are under constant pressure because they are the family of a political prisoner.
Despite everything I went through in prison, I feel that I have not lost faith that, in difficult times, there are people willing to lend a helping hand. That is why I am asking for your support during this challenging period. And I thank, from the bottom of my heart, everyone who has read my story and decided to support our family.”
*This is an anonymous fundraising campaign. For security reasons, we have changed some details of the story. The image was generated using AI.
Fundraising goal
€2500
€2500 – housing costs (rent and utilities for three months) while I complete my training and look for work