‘No Negotiations With Lukashenka’: Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk Holds First Press Conference

Live coverage.

Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, an activist of the European Belarus Civil Campaign and former political prisoner, is holding a press conference in Vilnius. Natallia Radzina, the editor-in-chief of Charter97.org, moderated the event.

The Charter97.org website is providing live text coverage.

14:16 At the end, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk addressed the political prisoners who were released:

"Each of you is a hero. After all, in the conditions of North Korea, which Belarus is being turned into, you took to the streets. We, Belarusians, must learn to respect our heroes. After all, it is the heroes who help our nation revive. These people need to be supported both financially and morally. Today we all need to be together."

14:19 Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk reported that Belsat journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva was beaten in prison:

"Four men were beating her — Hancharou, Chorny, Aliokhin and Ziuzin. That's what I managed to find out."

14:15 A former political prisoner said that in 2022 she guessed that the war against Ukraine had begun:

"I saw that every half hour planes flew towards Ukraine. But when I asked the administration, they tried to hide this information from us.

There were people from the Homel region in the prison. They talked about Russian weapons, the occupiers' weapons. They were talking about many wounded Russians who were being transported to Belarus."

14:09 “I plan to continue to engage in politics, to meet with people and entities on which decisions on Belarus depend. I will report on the situation in our country," said Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.

14:02 After the so-called court announced the verdict, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk showed the poster "Impostor, Go Away". She told why she went to such an act:

"The idea of the action came spontaneously. I drew a poster right in the courtroom."

14:00 A well-known opposition activist called on the relatives of political prisoners to talk about what is happening in prisons:

"This is the first requirement of every terrorist — so that there is no information about the hostages. There are many of us. We must shout to the whole world! If we agree to the terms of terrorists, they will manipulate both political prisoners and relatives. The regime is afraid of force."

13:56 The activist of the European Belarus harshly responded to the statement of the former member of the Tsikhanouskaia's "cabinet" — Volha Harbunova, who said that "the struggle of Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk is useless":

"I have been involved in Belarusian politics since the 1990s. I've never heard about Volha Harbunova. I do not know what this person sacrificed for the sake of Belarus. That's not the person I'm going to listen to."

13:55 Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk called on the opposition to seek even tougher sanctions against Lukashenka:

"There must be a clear and moral position. No negotiations with the regime. What kind of negotiations can there be with terrorists if they have the opportunity to take new hostages?"

13:50 “I never called the place where I was in prison. We are not prisoners, we are hostages. After all, there are no courts in Belarus. It made them very angry. As for my release, it is the result of pressure. At a certain point, the line was crossed when the regime could no longer tolerate me and released me," said the activist of the European Belarus.

13:44 Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk reported that political prisoners in the penal institutions are specially recorded as "malicious violators" in order to limit the ability to buy anything from stores.

"No milk, if you are not seriously ill. You get into solitary confinement — a ban on parcels. You sit there for several months — there will be no parcels," said the former prisoner of conscience.

13:37 "For ourselves, we decided that we would not write a petition for pardon — I, Viktoryia Kulsha, Alena Hnauk, Volha Mayorava. Some officials from the Department of Corrections came to assess who could be pressured. If you refuse, the maximum terror mode is activated. It is not necessary to beat a person, pressure is enough," says the former political prisoner.

13:34 Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk said that a provocation was organized against her in the prison — the political prisoner was beaten:

"I can tell you her name — Sviatlana Matsetskaia. She periodically attacked people, beat them. The leadership of the prison specifically hooked her up with others. On the one hand, she met her needs, on the other hand, it complied with the requests of the administration. She broke my face, my nose was bleeding. The prison administration refused to inform my lawyer about this."

13:30 "Most of the staff of the prison are sadists. They feel permissive. Before I left, an employee of the Department of Corrections came. He was speaking to the women using obscene language. The women were lined up. One of the prisoners had a crumpled collar. He grabbed her by the collar, shook her, shouted obscenities, and then sent her to the punishment cell," says Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.

13:29 The former political prisoner spoke about the conditions of detention in Rechytsa penal colony No. 24:

"Most prisoners have an understanding of the situation in the country. Ordinary people have compassion for political prisoners. Many approached and said in the corner: "We all understand what is happening, we support you, but we are forced to be silent."

13:24 "The security officer looked at me and said,"Yeah, I see that I have not reconciled," Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk answered the question about the so-called 'interview' to the propagandists.

13:22 Natallia Radzina asked Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk to talk about the SHIZO (punishment cell). After all, not everyone understands what political prisoners really go through.

"This is a bare room. They give you a uniform with a 'SHIZO' inscription. You can't change it. You sit for a month there — sleep in it for a month, locked in SHIZO. The light is always on. Hot water — 20 minutes a day. The surveillance camera is constantly watching you. If you’re in SHIZO, you don't see the sun. No fresh air, the window is closed. No mattresses or blankets. Bare boards, dampness, cold. It's good if you have tights on your feet," said the former political prisoner.

13:15 The activist the European Belarus stated that a tough economic blockade of the Lukashenka regime is necessary:

— Why is trade still going on with this concentration camp? It’s a disgrace to the entire civilized world. People are being killed in Belarus. Not for one year, not two years, but for 30 years. And the West is trading. I am for the toughest sanctions. After I was released, I found out that sanctions for political prisoners have still not been introduced. They need to be introduced.

13:11 "When they talk to me about negotiations with Lukashenka, I think that a joke. Lukashenka is a puppet of Russia. Russia decides everything. What’s needed is pressure. Sanctions are working, I can say this from conversations with the security forces," Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk said in response to a question about the strategy for releasing political prisoners.

13:06 Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk shared that political prisoners who are released are to sign documents about "confidential cooperation" with security forces. The opposition leader officially declared that she disavows the documents she signed and calls on those who have gone through this procedure to make an official statement about it.

13:06 "Our courageous women send their greetings to the Belarusians and say they will go all the way. They will not sign petitions for pardon. This is their position," said the activist of the European Belarus.

13:04 The former political prisoner emphasized that there are thousands and thousands of prisoners of conscience in Belarus.

"Viktoryia Kulsha is a person I deeply admire. She often goes on hunger strikes. I ask to provide information about her in all media outlets and on the agenda of all European politicians. Volha Mayorava has been added to the list of terrorists. She doesn't receive any parcels. Alena Hnauk is an older woman. That’s really hard for her. None of the three have any contact with their families," Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk shared about the female political prisoners in IK-24.

13:01 Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk thanked everyone who supported her family during her imprisonment. She also expressed gratitude to journalists, politicians, and Members of the European Parliament who raised the issue of political prisoners.

12:59 Charter97.org Editor-in-Chief Natallia Radzina, who is moderating the press conference, stated: "Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk is a witness to crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime. She is also proof that our pressure on Lukashenka’s regime is working."

Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk was released on February 1 after spending more than four years in prison.

The European Belarus activist was arrested on January 3, 2021. On June 9, 2021, the Moscow District Court of Brest sentenced her to two years in a penal colony, but her sentence was extended multiple times.

Sharenda-Panasiuk ultimately served four full prison terms. A mother of two, she had her sentence extended three times after the initial ruling. Nearly her entire time behind bars was spent in complete isolation. Her health significantly deteriorated while in prison.

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