My name is Gennady Veratinsky. I am a photojournalist, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) — an organization that works to protect freedom of speech, rights and interests of journalists. I am also a member of the opposition United Civil Party (UCP). For more than 20 years, together with like-minded people, we have been defending the democratic beginnings of Belarus.
After the 2020 elections I participated in many protests as a photographer and journalist. For this I was detained and imprisoned for 24 hours.
And in February 2023, when I was lying in the hospital, I started receiving threatening calls from the Investigative Committee. They wanted to detain me, but since I was in intensive care with pneumonia, they couldn't do it. After I was discharged, I was able to leave Belarus.
I can't return home, because I will be 100% behind bars. Because of my poor health (I am a group 2 invalid) I am unlikely to survive another prison sentence. Last time I was in Okrestina, I had a hypertensive crisis — my blood pressure went up to 270/140. Then I was taken in a critical condition to hospital No. 1 in Minsk. It took me several years to recover.
Now I am settling in a new country. I need to rent a house and to organize my life in a basic way. I hope for help from Belarusians.
How much is needed?
€3100 Rent, food, medicine, clothes