December 10, Pozirk. Human rights are under threat even in the heart of Europe today, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja has said on International Human Rights Day.
The day marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948.
“Instead of guaranteeing our rights, the state has turned into an instrument of oppression,” the politician said. “Thousands of Belarusians have been thrown behind bars for daring to defend their freedom and dignity. They are kept in terrible conditions, deprived of contact with their loved ones, while their freedom and health are taken away.”
Cichanoŭskaja said she shares their pain as her husband, former presidential hopeful Siarhiej Cichanoŭski, has been held incommunicado for more than 640 days.
Human rights defenders who devoted their lives to helping others are now “persecuted, isolated, imprisoned and forced out of the country for doing their job,” she noted.
The politician called for keeping contact with jailed dissidents, taking care of their families and reaching out to Belarusians who have just been forced to emigrate and are trying to integrate in new places.
“Together we will overcome this crisis and restore freedom, dignity and respect for human rights in Belarus,” Cichanoŭskaja stressed.
