19 March 2024, Tuesday, 9:22
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Yauhen Vaskovich to return to work on “Babrujski kurjer”

Yauhen Vaskovich to return to work on “Babrujski kurjer”

The former political prisoner told about his plans after liberation during the meeting with supporters of the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party.

In particular, Yauhen Vaskovich stated that he would continue to work as a journalist in “Babrujski kurjer” newspaper, Radio Svaboda informs.

“When after release I met Anatoly Sanatsenka, the editor-in-chief of this newspaper, where I had been working before imprisonment, he told me that he had not fired me, and I remain on the staff of the editorial office. I was really pleased by that,” Yauhen said.

The activist also informed that he remains a member of the BCD and plans to continue his political activities.

Yauhen Vaskovich also told about incarceration conditions. In particular, the former political prisoner noted that conditions in prison are aimed not at physical, but at psychological and moral humiliation of prisoners, and that it was more difficult to bear idleness, not cold or attempts of humiliation.

“In the conditions of isolation, especially in the remand prison, where I had spent 295 days, my zeal and love of life helped me to survive. But prison is like receiving life experience in a certain educational institution.

For example, it was awful to learn from other prisoners that two persons from the so-called “firing squad” were in prison at the same time. It means that the current regime won’t be above anything: to make away even with its most devoted servants, when it needs that.”

As said by the activist, better conditions for meetings with priests were created for prisoners who said they are Orthodox Christians: they were visited often, prayer services were held, and their confessions were heard. Catholic priests and protestant ministers could visit the prison not so often, the activist said that he preferred not to confess in the condition of prison, as he found that dangerous.

He found a solution in reading the Bible, Belarusian Catholic publications and prayer books, in praying. He received books from people at large, and later the activist left these books to other prisoners who are Catholics:

“It helped me, it could help them as well. Behind the bars a person without faith has no future. He says something, but later regrets, he does something and regrets. A believer knows from the start that it’s impossible to do some things for him. And there are some things which he is going to do all the time, and it’s his backbone, it helps to avoid unnecessary mistakes. I viewed my imprisonment as a test sent by God to me, and by serving it I followed God’s will.”

During the meeting an activist of Razam solidarity movement Nadzeja Batura passed to Yauhen Vaskovich letters of solidarity, which had been written before his release by Ukrainian activists in Maidan in Kyiv.

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