“We have never asked for support, we always managed on our own. But now, without help and solidarity, the consequences could be fatal for our family – up to deportation to Belarus and criminal prosecution.”
Private fundraising
Natalia Makavetskaya worked as a teacher in Vitebsk. She lived an ordinary life and raised her children. In September 2020 she became the mother of a political prisoner, lost her job, hid from law enforcers and eventually was forced to emigrate. She is now in Poland, awaiting a decision on her status, and is in need of support.
Viktoria* is currently in exile; her mother is the one preparing the care packages. Supporting her husband is expensive: despite her daughter’s help, the woman has fallen into debt. But care packages are essential – in detention the man has lost weight and suffered a severe case of COVID, so he needs medicine and warm clothing.
Dzmitry Paliyenka, a former political prisoner and activist of the anarchist movement, has found himself in a difficult situation after a serious hand fracture. He needs help to pay for treatment, medication, housing, and rehabilitation during a period of forced incapacity.
To avoid being forced into cooperating with the KGB, Eugene fled to Serbia. Now he is trying to rebuild his life after losing his home and business.
Artsiom Karotkevich was detained in 2023. While he was already behind bars, the Telegram chat he moderated was designated as an extremist entity.
Aleksei Prokhorov spent three years in a colony for a comment on social media. His health deteriorated in prison, and he was added to the “terrorist lists”. Because of this, all his accounts were frozen, he was unable to work, and only after evacuating to Poland did he gain hope of rebuilding his life.
Ilya was sentenced under a criminal article for his civic activity, and his wife was deported from Belarus. They were only able to reunite in Poland, where Ilya is now trying to restore his health and adapt to a new life.
The large family of Yulia Laptanovich has gone through tremendous trials – imprisonment, separation, and finally reunion in a foreign country. After three surgeries performed while she was in prison, Yulia’s health is in poor condition, and her family now needs help and support.