‘My Eyes Were Full Of Tears’

A Minsk woman is amazed by the resilience of Belarusians.

A Charter97.org reader has shared her impressions after the release of ‘European Belarus’ civil campaign coordinator Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk:

- Last Monday I was looking forward to the press conference! I was amazed at this Belarusian iron lady, who, next thing after hugging her children, decided to speak at the press conference.

What struck me most of all was that Palina did not focus the conversation on herself, but immediately started talking about the women who were left to suffer in Lukashenka's punishment cells. Palina encouraged journalists to write more often about the victims of the regime.

The second important point for me was Palina's request to the relatives and friends of political prisoners not to keep silent about their fate. After all, if there is silence, one gets the impression that the problem does not exist.

And the third important point: Palina announced to the whole world that she had signed the cooperation papers. With this statement she indicated her position that there would be no co-operation with the KGB gang, that it was only for the opportunity to go free.

And I was so outraged when a number of independent publications put this topic in the headlines. And they went negative on Palina, our Joan of Arc.

I saw something completely different in it. Thousands of people went through the Lukashenka torture centres, hundreds were released. I am convinced that signing a co-operation agreement was one of the conditions for releasing all public and well-known personalities. So why are you keeping silent, gentlemen?

It's not difficult to come out and publicly declare that I have signed the document in the torture chamber, but I refuse it.

We wish Palina to recover as soon as possible and to continue her fight for Belarus already at large.

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