MPs from Great Britain and Ireland take over godparenthood for Dzianis Zhuk, Mark Antonau and Leu Tsialipka
As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco, Nick Smith (House of Commons, Welsh Labour Party, Great Britain), Catherine West (House of Commons, Labour Party, Great Britain) and Deirdre Clune (European Parliament, Fine Gael, Ireland) have taken over a godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus.
Dzianis Zhuk is a resident of Brest. He was detained on 26 November and charged under Article 293 (“participation in mass riots”) of the Belarusian Criminal Code.
- Nick Smith, member of the House of Commons
Nick Smith, member of the House of Commons, has taken over the godparenthood for Dzianis Zhuk and stated: “I am concerned about the ongoing situation in Belarus. Participation in democracy is an important human right, and imprisoning so many people for using that right is fundamentally wrong. Belarusians have shown so much courage and determination, and I am proud to be able to adopt Dzianis today. I hope that he, and the many other political prisoners in Belarus, get the fair trial they deserve.”
Mark Antonau was detained on 27 November in Brest for having participated in post-election protests in August. He is charged under Article 293 (“participation in mass riots”) of the Belarusian Criminal Code.
- Catherine West, member of the House of Commons
Catherine West, member of the House of Commons and Shadow Minister for Europe for the Labour Party, has taken over the godparenthood for Mark Antonau and stated: “The tenacity and determination of the democracy movement has been inspiring since the stolen election in Belarus last year. As Labour’s shadow Europe Minister I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Mark Anthonau and all those detained and to let them know that #WeStandBYyou”
Leu Tsialipka is a resident of Brest. He was detained on 22 March for having participated in post-election protests in August and charged under Article 293 (“participation in mass riots”) of the Belarusian Criminal Code.
- Deirdre Clune, member of the European Parliament
Deirdre Clune, member of the European Parliament, has taken over the godparenthood for Leu Tsialipka. On this occasion Deirdre Clune stated: “I am proud and happy to sponsor Leu Tsialipka, through the #WeStandBYyou campaign. Mass protests and demonstrations have continued since last August’s disputed presidential election in Belarus. I am deeply concerned by the huge numbers of people including many journalists and human rights defenders who have been detained and harassed at rallies. Many Belarusians are paying a high price for their right to protest. The European Union must continue to support the democratic aspirations of Belarus as it has done for many years.”
