Belarusian youth: “Ales! You Are Our Talisman!”
Ales Bialiatski. Photo by Yulia Darashkevich.
Belarusian youth: “Ales! You Are Our Talisman!”
The imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski shares his thoughts inspired by the letters of solidarity he keeps receiving in prison:
‘I have received quite a lot of letters from young people lately. And there are many postcards from Vilnius, from the School[1], too. It is really pleasant: it means that the ideas of human rights protection have resonated with the Belarusian youth, which used to be so nobly described in the poetry of Yanka Kupala. Still, his youth of old times has already grown old and died out, but here is a new one… I cannot but quote several lines from the postcards and letters I have received:
“Ales! You are our talisman!”
“You have so many friends, that you just have to carry on…”
There is always the easy way and the hard one. Those taking the easy way – just exist, and those who go by the hard one – live. It is better to live than to exist. Live, Ales!”
“We, future human rights defenders, with your help, can see the prospects we can achieve both in life and in career.”
“We are with you, and we will keep fighting till they switch off the hot blood in our veins!”
“You have done so much for our people! And the people remember you.”
“I feel a bit uneasy, when you are in prison instead of all of us, and all I have done is sent you a postcard.”
“Dear Ales! When I watched BT (major state-owned TV channel), it felt like you were really guilty of something, but now I am wearing a T-shirt with a photo of yours. We believe, just like all kids do, that the good shall overcome the evil…”
Ales Viktaravich! Smile! We are with you!”
“Ales! You are not alone, and we are not alone!”
Here is the most important thing in life – to know that we are not alone. As for me, I can surely feel it.’
[1] Summer Human Rights School is an educational project for the youth arranged since 2007 at the Belarusian Human Rights House in exile in Vilnius, where Ales Bialiatski reads the courses “Actions for Human Rights Protection” and “Human Rights Activities on National and International Levels. The History of Human Rights Movement.” The students of this year’s School sent over 80 postcards to Ales Bialiatski to express their solidarity with the imprisoned human rights defender who can’t teach.
