Dzmitry Bandarenka met with the President of Wroclaw

Former political prisoner had treatment in Poland.

- There was recently a meeting with the president of Wroclaw Rafał Dutkiewicz, - has told the coordinator of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Dmitry Bandarenka to the website charter97.org. – We need to emphasize that Dutkiewicz is a phenomenal political person. He doesn’t belong to any of the leading parties of Poland, but for the third time he wins the presidential elections in Wroclaw with a large gap. During the meeting he was interested, above all, in the situation in Belarus and the condition of Belarusian political prisoners.

As many other polish politicians, the Wroclaw president perfectly understands what the life under a dictatorship is. Wroclaw – is a special city, here are many natives from Ukraine and Belarus. Days of Belarusian culture and largest international conferences, where the Belarusian question will always find a place, are annually being held here. Mr. Dutkiewicz was asking what he together with the city administration can do, in order to help the rehabilitation of victims of political repressions in Belarus.

I was telling in details about what I’ve experienced and in what incredibly difficult situation are my friends in prison.  On the meeting also was Jarosław Broda who works today in the Wroclaw’s government. This is a legendary person of the Wroclaw “Solidarity” movement. He was a project leader of the Polish-Czechoslovak Solidarity, when the border between Poland and Czechoslovakia was the place for meetings with leaders of the resistance of these countries, which included Václav Havel, Jan Urban, Jacek Kuroń, Adam Michnik…

I can tell that our meeting went really warm. It is always pleasant to meet with people who understand our situation and are ready to help Belarusians.

- Dmitry, what are you doing in Wroclaw?

- Thanks to the assistance of the Polish fund “Freedom and Democracy”, I had the opportunity in July to be tested and treated in hospitals, situated not far from Wroclaw.

- What the doctors are saying?

- Unfortunately, according to the results of the MRT, they confirmed that there are serious problems with the spine. A quite large intervertebral hernia, which clenches two of the nerves, has been diagnosed.  Polish doctors are saying that another operation can be carried out, but for now it is better to use operative methods of treatment.

I want to notice that Poles (both politicians and ordinary people) are truly interested in the situation in Belarus and worry about us. As soon as I got into a neurosurgical ward and patients have found out that I’m from Belarus, the first question was “How's Mr. Poczobut?”