Opposition activists in custody – Schallenberg meets Kolesnikova’s sister

Chomitsch hasn’t heard from her sister in a long time. The last contact took place in February 2023, she reported on Monday. From prisoners released last month, she knows that Maria Kolesnikova is in solitary confinement. This small, smelly cell only has a sink and a hole for a toilet. Her sister has also lost a lot of weight and only weighs 45 kilograms. She cannot receive letters, but they are torn up before her eyes, says Chomitsch. At least six “popular” political prisoners are being held in similarly horrific conditions, including Sergei Tikhanovsky, Viktor Babariko and Maxim Snak. At least seven prisoners in Belarusian custody have died in the past four years.

Tatjana Chomitsch came to Vienna because there was a performance dedicated to her sister that evening in the Schauspielhaus. “Belarus should not be forgotten,” Khomitsch warns. She calls for pragmatism and a willingness to engage in dialogue on the part of the West, so that Belarus does not ultimately fall into the clutches of Russia.

Kolesnikova in the legendary women’s trio
The artist and politician Kolesnikova, born in 1982, is one of the best-known Belarusian opposition figures. Kolesnikova, together with Weronika Zepkalo and Svetlana Tichanowskaya as formal presidential candidates, formed the legendary women’s trio that organized an extremely successful election campaign in the summer of 2020. Massive electoral fraud sparked public protests after the August 9, 2020 elections, which were brutally suppressed by the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994. EU countries no longer recognize Lukashenko’s legitimacy. Many see Tikhanovskaya as the winner of the elections in the former Soviet republic, which is an ally of Russia.

While Tikhanovskaya and Tsepkalo took the opportunity to flee abroad, Kolesnikova put up an extremely brave resistance. After being kidnapped by regime officials on September 7, 2020, the Belarusian national prevented deportation to Ukraine by tearing up her passport. Shortly afterwards, she was officially arrested and a year later sentenced to eleven years in prison for ‘calling for actions against national security’.

Hoping for forgiveness
Recently, Lukashenko has repeatedly released political prisoners. According to Khomitsch, about 150 political prisoners have been pardoned since the summer. In all cases, the head of state assured them that they had repented and asked for mercy. In a recent interview with the BBC, Lukashenko seemed open to family visits or even release for Kolesnikova if the family requested a meeting and Maria asked for a pardon. “That gives me hope,” says Chomitsch. According to the human rights organization Vjasna, around 1,300 political prisoners are still in custody. At the same time, further arrests took place.

Sanctions and isolation policy “failed”
According to Chomitsch, it is important that the West responds to these steps. European countries should recognize the releases, demand a continuation of this process and promote progress through diplomatic steps. Dialogue and diplomacy are necessary, and ambassadors in the country can also be helpful. Many countries, including Austria, are currently only represented at chargé d’affaires level in Minsk. The sanctions and isolation policies of Western countries had an impact, but were “ultimately unsuccessful”, says the human rights activist. The Belarusian regime has learned to circumvent sanctions. Moreover, the issue of the release of political prisoners in Belarus should not be left out of possible peace negotiations for Ukraine. There are many prisoners in Belarus because of their help to Ukraine.