My name is Tupovsky Andrei. I lived with my family in Mogilev, and in 2020 I was an active participant in street protests. My friends and I independently organized rallies, after one of which my friends and I were detained. They drew up reports on us under Article 23.34 and put us in jail for a day. All in all I had about six trials under Article 23.34, of which about five ended in jail. Only one court sentenced me to a fine.
During my time in the TDF my blood pressure rose. I complained to the staff about headaches. My request to take me to a doctor was ignored for the last five days (the time I had to serve in detention). When I came out of the TDF I went to the clinic and was hospitalized. It turned out that I had a thrombosis in my right eye because of the high pressure. I went to every possible clinic, but the diagnosis was disappointing. Loss of vision. As a result, at the moment I am visually impaired of the third group.
That same year my wife Elena Tupovskaya was detained with me at one of the protests. The court ordered her to pay a fine of 10 basic units, since we have two minor children. During my detention my wife had a nervous breakdown. She was forced almost every day to go to the Leninski District Department of Internal Affairs in Mogilev for “conversations”. It turned into an illness that doctors still could not cure. It was diagnosed as psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
Throughout, I took her to Minsk for check-ups. My wife suffered from “blackouts”, during which she fell down and was injured. The seizures began after the election on the background of psycho-emotional stress. She was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, neurasthenia, and a history of recurrent syncopal states. After repeated examination and treatment, seizures recurred.
During the period from 2020 to 2022 our family was not left alone. We were summoned to all the power structures of Mogilev and had “preventive conversations”. KGB officers repeatedly came and searched our homes. They confiscated everything connected with the protest activity. They confiscated our arrest warrants. This was done so we couldn't leave.
My inner patriotism wouldn't let me leave, but the last arrest by force made everything clear. On November 4, 2022 I was detained by OMON and GUBOP right from work, with the use of physical force. They beat me severely during arrest and took me home to conduct a search. On the way home they beat me. At home they turned the entire apartment upside down and broke the furniture. My underage son was at home. When he saw me beaten he cried. After the search they took me to the GUBOPIK office, where they forced me to sing the national anthem, beat me, stripped me half naked and put me up against the wall. As a result I was taken to the ROVD and then to the TDF. The court gave me a sentence of 15 days. A criminal case was instituted under the article “extremism. One day they let me out of the TDF, so that I could remove my tattoos, in which they read the protest statements. I promised them that I would do it, but I gathered up my family and made the decision to leave. We left urgently, taking only the essentials with us.
Now, as we adapt to the new country, we want to heal my wife. We would be grateful to anyone who would offer their solidarity and help.
How much is needed?
3100€ — medicines; examination to establish the exact diagnosis; treatment on a fee basis.