After beatings in a punishment cell, Yulia’s husband was left with a first-degree disability and still requires spinal rehabilitation. They managed to leave for Lithuania with their children. Their teenage daughter is struggling deeply with the forced departure and stress and needs paid psychological support.
Hello, my name is Yulia.
In 2020, my husband took part in the registration of presidential candidates and the formation of election campaign headquarters (including that of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya). As early as June 6, he was arrested on the orders of the KGB and soon ended up at the Minsk temporary detention facility.
For refusing to give false testimony, he was subjected to constant pressure and torture. He was deprived of sleep, walks, and hygiene; a bright light was kept on in the cell around the clock, and every night he was woken up for inspections. In a punishment cell, he was brutally beaten and sustained severe injuries to his spine, ribs, limbs, and head. The consequences of the beating resulted in a first-degree disability, and severe pain continues to torment him to this day.
When my husband was brought from the temporary detention centre to our apartment for a search, he managed to escape from custody. After that, my husband, our children, and I urgently fled Belarus for Lithuania.
In this situation – experiencing horror at what was done to my husband and the pain of having to leave everything behind in Belarus – it was not easy to start life over in a foreign country. But forced emigration has been especially hard on our elder daughter.
At the time of the move, she was 11 years old. We tried not to show how scared we ourselves were, but apparently she felt everything. For her, the greatest stress was fear for her parents, and being torn out of her familiar environment at such a vulnerable age, without close friends and school life, only worsened the situation.
We realized how hard it was for her when she began to develop nervous tics. At first they were mild, almost unnoticeable, and would subside after short courses of treatment prescribed by a neurologist.
But in the summer of 2025, everything changed abruptly. The tics intensified and began to turn into attacks. Our daughter became irritable and withdrawn; her sleep was disrupted, and she avoids any communication. My heart bleeds when I see in her eyes the same fear with which we once fled our home.
Doctors have suggested Tourette syndrome. But for an accurate diagnosis and treatment, our daughter needs regular psychological support to stabilize her condition and prevent the symptoms from becoming chronic.
Here in Lithuania, the public healthcare system is overloaded – we can only be offered appointments with a psychologist once every 1-1.5 months. This is not enough for a child in such a condition.
A private specialist can offer long-term therapy lasting several months. But the total cost of a full course is a large sum for us. I am currently the only working member of the family. In addition, my husband’s injuries constantly make themselves felt – he needs ongoing spinal rehabilitation, which also requires funds.
I held on for as long as I could – both physically and mentally. But my hands are already giving up. I ask from the bottom of my heart to help us. I hold on to the hope that I am not alone, and that someone will not pass by my story.
I want to ease my husband’s suffering and help my daughter cope and recover. So that our girl can laugh again, dream, and live without fear and pain, as she should at her age.
Thank you to every caring person!
Fundraising goal
€1500
€1250 – a course of 25 sessions with a private psychologist (€50 per session), necessary to consolidate positive changes and develop stable self-regulation skills for our daughter
€250 – medications and related medical expenses for my husband’s spinal rehabilitation, which is vital due to the consequences of torture and injuries sustained in Belarus