Thank You Letter from Tatsiana Hatsura-Yavorskaya and WATCH DOCS Belarus Team
Dear Colleagues,
We apologize for the delay in sending our thank you letter. We needed some time to recover. During the period of our arrest, all our work and personal equipment, including phones, were confiscated, which made it difficult for us to reach out to you. Your solidarity means the world to us, and we can’t fully express how grateful we are for your support. Your response was incredibly important, and it played a role in our release from prison. In today’s Belarus, such an outcome is nothing short of a miracle.
We would like to briefly share with you what happened.
On April 5, five members of our organization were arrested. Preliminary searches were conducted, and our homes, offices, and personal belongings were raided. Lawyers were not allowed to visit us, and we were not permitted to inform our families or the press about what was happening, under the threat of force. During our detention, we were held in inhumane conditions: the cells were about 10°C, and we were denied mattresses and blankets. We were deprived of care packages, including hygiene products, and the lights were kept on at night. Every two hours, we were forced to stand in line. Interrogations took place without the presence of our lawyers.
Currently, all five of us are still considered suspects under Belarusian law for allegedly organizing and participating in actions that grossly violate public order. Under Belarusian law, suspects can remain in this status indefinitely, which we believe is a method of exerting pressure on us and our work.
Despite these difficult conditions, we are now free, and we want to express our heartfelt gratitude once again for your support. We will never forget what you have done for us, and we are committed to doing everything we can to invite you as guests to our free Belarusian land someday.
With best regards,
Tatsiana Yavorskaya and the WATCH DOCS Belarus Team