.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
Vladimir Patokov left Russia in 2018 due to persecution by the Russian authorities. Thus, the Russian found himself in a Belarusian prison, where he got acquainted with some Belarusian political prisoners. It was about them that Vladimir wrote the book "The Birth of Heroes," which was published in 2022, after his release. We spoke with Vladimir about the heroes of his book — the people who, as the author says, below, sacrificed themselves for a free Belarus.
Vladimir Patokov left Russia in 2018 due to persecution by the Russian authorities. Thus, the Russian found himself in a Belarusian prison, where he got acquainted with some Belarusian political prisoners. It was about them that Vladimir wrote the book "The Birth of Heroes," which was published in 2022, after his release. We spoke with Vladimir about the heroes of his book — the people who, as the author says, below, sacrificed themselves for a free Belarus.
Unfortunately, I must admit that Belarusians were caught in the gears of the system, and they were convicted not under political charges, despite politics being the reason behind their imprisonment. For example, there's the story of one person, Ruslan Valoshin, who was involved in cryptocurrency trading.
At some point, when the Belarusian authorities realized that many people supported the opposition, including those involved in cryptocurrency exchanges, they started imprisoning all these people, charging them with a severe and false offense - Article 328 (illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances). They claimed that these individuals were leading a criminal cartel involved in drug distribution. However, those exchanging cryptocurrencies for Belarusian rubles didn't know the identity of the persons they were exchanging funds with. And yet, these people were given horrific sentences of up to fifteen years. They were not involved in politics; they paid taxes to the state, and ended up in prison for no actual offense whatsoever. We must not forget about these people either.
Stsiapan Latypau was a man who demonstrated incredible willpower while in detention. The most terrible accusation against him was that while a free man he allegedly tried to poison someone with chlorine. In reality, he needed chlorine to treat weeds. The authorities simply fabricated a criminal case against Latypau, who was actively participating in the protest in 2020, to justify his arrest and imprisonment.
Stsiapan was subjected to harsh treatment. He was beaten. Stsiapan probably didn't want anyone to know, but it's important to share these stories so that people understand what true heroes in prison go through. He feared for his life, especially after hearing about Raman Bandarenka's death [Note: Raman Bandarenka died after being beaten by security forces during the protests against the 2020 Belarusian presidential election]. They were friends and neighbors, and Stsiapan believed that Raman was intentionally killed because they (and some other people) were activists in the area. Stsiapan thought they would come after him too, even in captivity. At that time, many political prisoners were sent to the Novinki psychiatric hospital, and various reasons were found to subject them to compulsory ‘treatment.’ To avoid being sent there, Stsiapan scalded his hand with boiling water; he was afraid they would poison him there. That's how he fought for his life. However, after three or four weeks, he was still sent to Novinki when his hand had somewhat healed.
Stsiapan had a very difficult time in detention, and he was constantly targeted by being held in a punishment cell. Once, the warden, Anna Sergeevna, charged him with two prison violations in one day. She wrote him up for hanging a towel on a peg to dry, and for sitting against the wall, trying to rest a little. She falsely claimed he was lying down, which is prohibited.
In reality, Stsiapan was causing harm to himself to strike at the reputation of the system. I believe his attempt to hurt himself with a pen was also an act of resistance against the regime [Note: On the first day of his trial, Latypau attempted to commit suicide by stabbing his neck with a pen. After a surgery to heal the wound, he was placed on mechanical ventilation. Despite this, the following day, he was transferred from the hospital back to the pre-trial detention center.]
Stsiapan was constantly under surveillance in prison. Around the clock. He couldn't even go to the bathroom without supervision.
Stsiapan is very charismatic. He helped me a lot when I arrived at Volodarka (prison).
I remember seeing a TV report about a guy who was allegedly leaking data about law enforcement officers. And just an hour after that report, they brought a new inmate to our cell, severely beaten. It turned out to be that same guy from the report, Artsem Parkhamovich. He was charged with nine offenses, and was facing a significant prison term.
He was angry and disillusioned with everything that was happening. The prison had broken him. You know, that moment when you stop caring, you don't want to eat, sleep, or live? It happens to almost everyone, but typically after about a year in prison. It was the same for me. However, for Artsem, it came after four months. We supported him as much as we could. In prison, he lost a lot of weight because food in pre-trial detention centers is scarce. Even when volunteers tried to help by bringing food, they were also detained for showing compassion toward the prisoners.
But not many realized that everyone was facing years in prison. Initially, most thought they would be released after a few months. The realization that things were very bad came on March 25, 2021, Freedom Day [Note: Freedom Day is an unofficial holiday in Belarus celebrated on 25 March to commemorate the declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic].
I remember one guy even packed his belongings and sat by the entrance, expecting a prison siege that would lead to everyone's release. We all listened to what was happening on the streets, as our cell didn't have windows, only a small opening for air circulation. People had their last hope that freedom was close. But nothing happened. That's when we all understood – that’s it.
However, there was no resentment towards those who were free. The political prisoners knew that they wouldn't be forgotten. But, truthfully, the families of political prisoners were disappointed. Everyone was fighting for themselves. Perhaps this is true for the period after 2021. I know the wife of one prisoner who was left completely alone without support. Financial support is crucial, but unfortunately, it was lacking.
In prison, I met many different Belarusians who were convicted on political charges. Yahor Kanetsky, Aliaksandr Kazlyanko, Dzianis Sakalousky, Ilya Trakhtenberg, Maksim Znak, Vladzimir Tsyhanovich, Siarhei Patsukevich, Viktar Losik – these are just a few of the names of people fate brought together there.
I also met those who supported Lukashenka, but they were few. When the war in Ukraine started, everyone was shocked. Despite the propaganda on TV, we all realized the horror of what was happening. Among the prisoners were also Ukrainians, and they all fell ill with high blood pressure. We feared that after being released, we would find ourselves in a completely different reality due to the war. Many present military personnel spoke about the threat of a nuclear explosion. And yet, the only hope was that after serving our sentence, we could rebuild our lives. It was a struggle for us. The realization that the life we dreamt of might no longer exist.
But it's important to say the most crucial thing. Belarusian political prisoners are true heroes
They sacrificed their lives and health for the ideals that the Belarusian society cherishes. They gave themselves up. By their example, they proved that they will always stick to their principles, not bending to pressure and not confusing the homeland with the authorities. They understand that the homeland is the people, and these people need a different reality, a different life, and some paid with their lives for these ideals.
Unfortunately, I must admit that Belarusians were caught in the gears of the system, and they were convicted not under political charges, despite politics being the reason behind their imprisonment. For example, there's the story of one person, Ruslan Valoshin, who was involved in cryptocurrency trading.
At some point, when the Belarusian authorities realized that many people supported the opposition, including those involved in cryptocurrency exchanges, they started imprisoning all these people, charging them with a severe and false offense - Article 328 (illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances). They claimed that these individuals were leading a criminal cartel involved in drug distribution. However, those exchanging cryptocurrencies for Belarusian rubles didn't know the identity of the persons they were exchanging funds with. And yet, these people were given horrific sentences of up to fifteen years. They were not involved in politics; they paid taxes to the state, and ended up in prison for no actual offense whatsoever. We must not forget about these people either.
Stsiapan Latypau was a man who demonstrated incredible willpower while in detention. The most terrible accusation against him was that while a free man he allegedly tried to poison someone with chlorine. In reality, he needed chlorine to treat weeds. The authorities simply fabricated a criminal case against Latypau, who was actively participating in the protest in 2020, to justify his arrest and imprisonment.
Stsiapan was subjected to harsh treatment. He was beaten. Stsiapan probably didn't want anyone to know, but it's important to share these stories so that people understand what true heroes in prison go through. He feared for his life, especially after hearing about Raman Bandarenka's death [Note: Raman Bandarenka died after being beaten by security forces during the protests against the 2020 Belarusian presidential election]. They were friends and neighbors, and Stsiapan believed that Raman was intentionally killed because they (and some other people) were activists in the area. Stsiapan thought they would come after him too, even in captivity. At that time, many political prisoners were sent to the Novinki psychiatric hospital, and various reasons were found to subject them to compulsory ‘treatment.’ To avoid being sent there, Stsiapan scalded his hand with boiling water; he was afraid they would poison him there. That's how he fought for his life. However, after three or four weeks, he was still sent to Novinki when his hand had somewhat healed.
Stsiapan had a very difficult time in detention, and he was constantly targeted by being held in a punishment cell. Once, the warden, Anna Sergeevna, charged him with two prison violations in one day. She wrote him up for hanging a towel on a peg to dry, and for sitting against the wall, trying to rest a little. She falsely claimed he was lying down, which is prohibited.
In reality, Stsiapan was causing harm to himself to strike at the reputation of the system. I believe his attempt to hurt himself with a pen was also an act of resistance against the regime [Note: On the first day of his trial, Latypau attempted to commit suicide by stabbing his neck with a pen. After a surgery to heal the wound, he was placed on mechanical ventilation. Despite this, the following day, he was transferred from the hospital back to the pre-trial detention center.]
Stsiapan was constantly under surveillance in prison. Around the clock. He couldn't even go to the bathroom without supervision.
Stsiapan is very charismatic. He helped me a lot when I arrived at Volodarka (prison).
I remember seeing a TV report about a guy who was allegedly leaking data about law enforcement officers. And just an hour after that report, they brought a new inmate to our cell, severely beaten. It turned out to be that same guy from the report, Artsem Parkhamovich. He was charged with nine offenses, and was facing a significant prison term.
He was angry and disillusioned with everything that was happening. The prison had broken him. You know, that moment when you stop caring, you don't want to eat, sleep, or live? It happens to almost everyone, but typically after about a year in prison. It was the same for me. However, for Artsem, it came after four months. We supported him as much as we could. In prison, he lost a lot of weight because food in pre-trial detention centers is scarce. Even when volunteers tried to help by bringing food, they were also detained for showing compassion toward the prisoners.
But not many realized that everyone was facing years in prison. Initially, most thought they would be released after a few months. The realization that things were very bad came on March 25, 2021, Freedom Day [Note: Freedom Day is an unofficial holiday in Belarus celebrated on 25 March to commemorate the declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic].
I remember one guy even packed his belongings and sat by the entrance, expecting a prison siege that would lead to everyone's release. We all listened to what was happening on the streets, as our cell didn't have windows, only a small opening for air circulation. People had their last hope that freedom was close. But nothing happened. That's when we all understood – that’s it.
However, there was no resentment towards those who were free. The political prisoners knew that they wouldn't be forgotten. But, truthfully, the families of political prisoners were disappointed. Everyone was fighting for themselves. Perhaps this is true for the period after 2021. I know the wife of one prisoner who was left completely alone without support. Financial support is crucial, but unfortunately, it was lacking.
In prison, I met many different Belarusians who were convicted on political charges. Yahor Kanetsky, Aliaksandr Kazlyanko, Dzianis Sakalousky, Ilya Trakhtenberg, Maksim Znak, Vladzimir Tsyhanovich, Siarhei Patsukevich, Viktar Losik – these are just a few of the names of people fate brought together there.
I also met those who supported Lukashenka, but they were few. When the war in Ukraine started, everyone was shocked. Despite the propaganda on TV, we all realized the horror of what was happening. Among the prisoners were also Ukrainians, and they all fell ill with high blood pressure. We feared that after being released, we would find ourselves in a completely different reality due to the war. Many present military personnel spoke about the threat of a nuclear explosion. And yet, the only hope was that after serving our sentence, we could rebuild our lives. It was a struggle for us. The realization that the life we dreamt of might no longer exist.
But it's important to say the most crucial thing. Belarusian political prisoners are true heroes
They sacrificed their lives and health for the ideals that the Belarusian society cherishes. They gave themselves up. By their example, they proved that they will always stick to their principles, not bending to pressure and not confusing the homeland with the authorities. They understand that the homeland is the people, and these people need a different reality, a different life, and some paid with their lives for these ideals.
.png){kind=small}
.png)
.png)
