March 14, Pozirk. About 70 people came together today in Warsaw to say their last farewell to Lizavieta Hiercen, a Belarusian rape victim who died earlier this month.
Hiercen was buried at the Northern Communal Cemetery in the Polish capital.
The funeral was attended by her friends and family, as well as feminist activists from Belarus and Ukraine, members of the Christian Vision group, other human rights activists, politician Zianon Paźniak and his wife Halina Paźniak.
The ceremony was held in Polish and Russian.
“Most of us standing here did not know Liza. But in her we recognized our sisters, our daughters and our friends. In her we saw ourselves,” hosts said.
“Our hearts are filled with despair in the face of this great tragedy. We face something that is completely beyond our control. Any one of us could be her,” they said. “Liza’s death has triggered a series of events and actions. We are pushing for changes in the law, holding solidarity marches for Liza, and dedicating dozens of articles to her.”
She and her boyfriend traveled a lot in recent years. According to the hosts, the woman moved to Warsaw, where the couple met, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020.
A Polish Orthodox priest read a prayer.
Hiercen, who was raped and nearly strangled in downtown Warsaw on February 25, died in a hospital on March 1. She was unconscious on a ventilator at the intensive care unit.
The 23-year-old alleged perpetrator has been detained for three months.
The attack sparked outrage on social media. Many pointed out that no one came to help the woman during the incident.
Thousands took to the streets to commemorate the victim last week.
