Open letter: Swiss National Councillors and Councillors of States demand the release of Natallia Hersche

In an open letter 86 Swiss Members of Parliament address the Belarusian Foreign Minister Makei and demand the release of Natallia Hersche and more than 240 other political prisoners in Belarus.

Natallia Hersche’s hearing in the court of appeal will take place in Minsk on 16 February. The Swiss-Belarusian dual citizen was sentenced to a draconian prison term of 2 years and 6 months in an unfair trial on 7 December 2020. 

Barbara Gysi, National Councillor from St. Gallen, has taken over a prisoner godparenthood for Natallia Hersche at the request of the German-Swiss human rights organisation Libereco and states: “By taking part in the rally, Natallia Hersche was merely exercising a democratic right. This draconian punishment is unjust and inhumane. The sentence must be cancelled immediately and Natallia Hersche must be released.”

According to information available to Libereco, including Natallia Hersche, more than 240 political prisoners are currently imprisoned in Belarus. In over 70 cases, prison sentences in total of more than 220 years have already been imposed.

Prior to the hearing in the court of appeal, 83 Members of Parliament from the National Council and the Council of States addressed Belarusian Foreign Minister Makei and demanded the release of Natallia Hersche and all other political prisoners in Belarus. The Open Letter is supported by Members of Parliament from all parliamentary groups in the Federal Parliament.

You’ll find the PDF-version of the open letter here.

Open Letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Mr. Vladimir Makei

Dear Foreign Minister Makei

On 16 February 2021, the appeal hearing of Natallia Hersche, a Swiss citizen, is scheduled to take place in Minsk. Ms Hersche was arbitrarily arrested on 19 September 2020 at a peaceful women’s rally in Minsk. During her violent arrest, she had, according to her own statement, “in fear of her life”, pulled the mask off the face of a masked security guard, who was not identified as such, and scratched him in the process.

At first instance, Natallia Hersche, a dual Swiss-Belarusian citizen, was found guilty on 7 December 2020 of a crime under Article 363 of the Belarusian Criminal Code (resisting a police officer) and sentenced to 2 years and 6 months imprisonment.

According to Belarusian and Swiss human rights organisations, the persecution of Natallia Hersche is politically motivated and Ms Hersche is to be considered a political prisoner. We agree with this assessment and are of the opinion that Natallia Hersche has not committed any crime that would justify a prison sentence.

This is because the spontaneous protest in which she participated was exclusively peaceful. Such a protest must be protected by the Belarusian authorities according to paragraph 131 of the OSCE Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. The detention of the participants of the peaceful assembly by members of the Belarusian Ministry of Interior went far beyond the state’s “obligation to protect public order” and thus violated OSCE international standards.

The trial of Natallia Hersche at first instance took place in violation of the principles of a fair trial. Injuring a police officer by scratching his face is to be considered negligent and is not punishable to that extent. The sentence of 2 years and 6 months imprisonment imposed is disproportionate to the offence for which Ms Hersche was found guilty. Especially when compared to other similar cases, it becomes obvious that the first instance verdict is politically motivated.

We therefore call on you to ensure that the appeal hearing of Natallia Hersche is conducted free of political motives but according to international standards of a fair trial. With the appeal hearing, the Belarusian authorities now have the opportunity to revoke the unlawful sentence of the first instance and to convert the prison sentence into a fine.

We call on you in your capacity as acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus to ensure that Natallia Hersche is released at the latest after the pronouncement of the verdict of the appellate court. As a Swiss citizen, Ms Hersche must be allowed to return to Switzerland without delay.

It is with great dismay that we have learned in recent months of more than 33,000 arrests of Belarusian citizens and of reports of hundreds of victims of ill-treatment and torture by Belarusian security forces. We call on you and all Belarusian state authorities to immediately end the intimidation, persecution and detention of peaceful demonstrators, opposition activists, human rights defenders, students and media representatives.

The imprisonment of political prisoners and the persecution of political dissidents are serious violations of human rights, which Belarus, as a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has undertaken to respect.

We would like to remind you of these international obligations of your country and call on you to grant the fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and assembly to all people in Belarus without restrictions.

The imprisonment of Natallia Hersche and of more than 240 other political prisoners is a serious strain on foreign policy relations between Switzerland and Belarus. In order to improve bilateral relations, it is essential that the Belarusian authorities release Natallia Hersche and all other political prisoners!

As members of the Swiss National Council and Council of States, we stand firmly by the side of all people who are engaged and protesting for democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Belarus.

Yours sincerely

Barbara Gysi, National Councillor, Canton of St. Gall

Claudia Friedl, National Councillor, Canton of St. Gall

Nicolo Paganini, National Councillor, Canton of St. Gall

Benedikt Würth, Counsillor of States, Canton of St. Gall

Franziska Ryser, National Councillor, Canton of St. Gall

Paul Rechsteiner, Counsillor of States, Canton of St. Gall

Beat Flach, National Councillor, Canton of Argovia

Cédric Wermuth, National Councillor, Canton of Argovia

Gabriela Suter, National Councillor, Canton of Argovia

Lilian Studer, National Councillor, Canton Argovia

Marianne Binder-Keller, National Councillor, Canton of Argovia

Daniel Fässler, Counsillor of States, Canton of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes

Eric Nussbaumer, National Councillor, Canton of Basle-Country

Samira Marti, National Councillor, Canton of Basle-Country

Maya Graf, Counsillor of States, Canton of Basle-Country

Florence Brenzikofer, National Councillor, Canton of Basle-City

Mustafa Atici, National Councillor, Canton of Basle-City

Sibel Arslan, National Councillor, Canton of Basle-City

Eva Herzog, Counsillor of States, Canton of Basle-City

Christa Markwalder, National Councillor, Canton of Berne

Christine Badertscher, National Councillor, Canton of Berne

Lorenz Hess, National Councillor, Canton of Berne

Marianne Streiff-Feller, National Councillor, Canton of Berne

Regula Rytz, National Councillor, Canton of Berne

Tamara Funiciello, National Councillor, Canton of Berne

Hans Stöckli, Counsillor of States, Canton of Berne

Christian Levrat, Counsillor of States, Canton of Friburg

Ursula Schneider Schüttel, National Councillor, Canton of Friburg

Marie-France Roth Pasquier, National Councillor, Canton of Friburg

Christian Dandrès, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Isabelle Pasquier-Eichenberger, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Michel Matter, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Stefania Prezioso Batou, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Nicolas Walder, National Councillor, Canton of Geneva

Carlo Sommaruga, Counsillor of States, Canton of Geneva

Lisa Mazzone, Counsillor of States, Canton of Geneva

Jon Pult, National Councillor, Canton of Grisons

Sandra Locher Benguerel, National Councillor, Canton of Grisons

Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, National Councillor, Canton of Jura

Charles Juillard, Counsillor of States, Canton of Jura

Pierre-Alain Fridez, National Councillor, Canton of Jura

Michael Töngi, National Councillor, Canton of Lucerne

Prisca Birrer-Heimo, National Councillor, Canton of Lucerne

Damien Cottier, National Councillor, Canton of Neuchâtel

Fabien Fivaz, National Councillor, Canton of Neuchâtel

Philippe Bauer, Counsillor of States, Canton of Neuchâtel

Erich Ettlin, Counsillor of States, Canton of Obwald

Martina Munz, National Councillor, Canton of Schaffhouse

Felix Wettstein. National Councillor, Canton of Soleure

Franziska Roth, National Councillor, Canton of Soleure

Roberto Zanetti, Counsillor of States, Canton of Soleure

Stefan Müller-Altermatt, National Councillor, Canton of Soleure

Bruno Storni, National Councillor, Canton of Tessin

Greta Gysin, National Councillor, Canton of Tessin

Rocco Cattaneo, National Councillor, Canton of Tessin

Marina Carobbio, Counsillor of States, Canton of Tessin

Jakob Stark, Counsillor of States, Canton of Thurgovia

Ada Marra, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Brigitte Crottaz, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Daniel Brélaz, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

François Pointet, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Isabelle Moret, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Jean-Pierre Grin, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Laurent Wehrli, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Pierre-Yves Maillard, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Roger Nordmann, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Samuel Bendahan, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Sophie Michaud Gigon, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Valentine Python, National Councillor, Canton of Vaud

Olivier Français, Counsillor of States, Canton of Vaud

Benjamin Roduit, National Councillor, Canton of Wallis

Matthias Michel, Counsillor of States, Canton of Zoug

Balthasar Glättli, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Barbara Schaffner, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Céline Widmer, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Corina Gredig, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Doris Fiala, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Fabian Molina, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Katharina Prelicz-Huber, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Martin Haab, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Mattea Meyer, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Meret Schneider, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Min Li Marti, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Priska Seiler Graf, National Councillor, Canton of Zurich

Bern, 10 February 2021