Ukrainians not being released from prisons in Belarus – even after their term ends
Ukrainians are not being released from Belarusian prisons even after their sentences have expired, the editor-in-chief of independent Belarusian news site Charter 97, Natalya Radina, told Radio NV on May 25.
Some Ukrainians who were abducted by Russia and forcibly moved to Belarus could be imprisoned there because it is dangerous to actively support or show solidarity with Ukraine there, she said during the interview.
"We're not aware of how many Ukrainians are in prisons (in Belarus). One has to realize that it's a completely closed system. I consider it to be within the Ukrainian embassy’s scope of responsibility. It is still in Minsk," the Belarusian journalist said.
Belarusian political prisoners who were released from prisons "said that they had met Ukrainians in prisons [and] that they were in a very unenviable position," Radina added.
"Ukrainians are not released on parole. Even if their sentence has come to an end, they are not released. Because they say: ‘Your country is at war, we have to release you and deport you. But we will not deport you, as we can't.’ That's why many Ukrainians remain in prison," she said.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin are creating a so-called union state of Russia and Belarus. Russia already controls almost all the Belarusian state, said Francišak Viačorka, Senior Advisor to the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
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