Tamaz and Timur Pipiya spent more than five years in Belarusian correctional facilities. After their release, they were given three days to leave the country, or they would end up back in prison. The brothers are now in Lithuania waiting for their documents, their money has run out, and on November 4 they will be left without housing.
My name is Tamaz Pipiya. In May 2026, my brother Timur and I were released almost simultaneously. Each of us had spent more than five years in a Belarusian prison. Our freedom did not last long. Even before our release, officers from the GUBOPiK, the very department that has been hunting down dissenters since 2020, came to the correctional facility. They gave us an ultimatum: if we did not leave Belarus within three days, we would end up behind bars again. I was told these exact words: “The Government of the Republic of Belarus is not interested in you remaining on the territory of the country.” You wait five years to come home, only to be given three days to pack.
My brother and I took part in the 2020 protests and were connected to the anti-fascist movement. We were detained that same year. After our arrests, we were beaten, and then both of us received lengthy prison sentences.
Now we are in Lithuania. We have submitted our applications for residence permits and are waiting for a decision. The assistance we received after our release has run out. It is impossible to find a proper job without documents. The question is no longer how to build a new life, but where to live and how to buy food while we wait.
The Belarusian Human Rights House is temporarily covering our housing costs, but this assistance ends on November 4. We have nowhere else to go. It is a strange feeling: you are finally free and can decide for yourself how to live. And yet you have nothing: no money, no home, no savings to fall back on.
There is another difficulty. Since my imprisonment, I have had heart problems, and doctors have forbidden me from doing many kinds of physical activity. This makes finding work even harder for me.
But my brother and I do not want to live on assistance. As soon as we receive our documents, we will register as self-employed and start a cleaning business. We just need to get by until then.
We are asking you to support us now, when we are at risk of being left on the street.
Fundraising goal
€4000
€2800 – rent and utility bills for two people during the initial period
€900 – basic household necessities
€300 – transport and phone costs