September 17, Pozirk. A solidarity rally in support of jailed Belarusian rights defender Marfa Rabkova took place in Vilnius today, marking the fifth anniversary of her arrest.
Participants gathered at Vincas Kudirka Square, holding photos of Rabkova arranged to form the message “Free Marfa.”
“We truly hope she will be among those released as part of the so-called deal [between Alaksandar Łukašenka] and [US President Donald] Trump,” Viasna’s lawyer Pavieł Sapiełka told Pozirk.
Rabkova, who coordinated Viasna’s volunteer service, has been held behind bars since her arrest in September 2020. In 2022, she was given 15 years in prison on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Later, the Supreme Court reduced her sentence by three months.
Last week, Łukašenka pardoned a group of 52 regime critics, including prominent opposition figures and journalists, following his meeting with John Coale, US deputy special envoy to Ukraine.
Belarusian officials say that Minsk has engaged in talks with Washington since mid-2024. Since then, the Belarusian ruler has pardoned more than 300 imprisoned regime critics.
