In 2021, Belarusian Iryna Harashyna was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for taking part in peaceful protests. She was convicted under Article 342 of the Criminal Code—a notoriously used charge for «organizing, preparing for, or actively participating in actions that grossly violate public order»—as well as Article 203-1 for «illegal actions regarding private life information and personal data.» Her two underage daughters waited for her while she was in the penal colony. She was released in June 2023, having served her sentence in full.
Iryna emigrated to Poland. Now working and pursuing her creative projects, she is raising her girls on her own, allowing them to make their own choices and feel free. Her youngest daughter, Izabella, recently underwent major heart surgery. Iryna spoke with us about life and love, and about freedom, without which everything loses all meaning. She also shared her extraordinary dreams and the futuristic profession she created.
Iryna says that nature has always been an essential part of her life.
– To me, the scent of freedom is the scent of the forest. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to just head into the woods. The moment I was picked up from the women’s penal colony, I asked to be taken straight to the forest. My soul was overjoyed—I was in pure euphoria. I love nature deeply, and the forest is where I truly belong.
After two years of imprisonment, Iryna is once again getting used to everyday things and routines that most people take for granted.
«As soon as I was released, I realized how much I value the simplest things. For example, being able to lie down for as long as I want. It took me a long time to get used to that—to just being allowed to lie down.»
– Over those two years, the habit of not being allowed to lie down was so deeply ingrained in me that I just couldn’t lie down for no reason. Only at night, when I was sleeping. I was constantly doing something, always reminding myself, «Look, you’re allowed to lie down now.» But my brain just wouldn’t accept it.
Another important daily ritual came with freedom—drinking coffee in silence.
– I treasure my morning coffee because back in the penal colony, it was difficult. If we were on the morning shift, I couldn’t drink coffee in the morning simply because there were so many people that you just didn’t have time for anything. Every morning, I remember what it was like there. And every morning, I just get up without rushing, make coffee, and spend half an hour drinking it peacefully on the balcony—enjoying the fresh air and silence.
«To be honest, I can’t say that I am fully free yet. There is still a lingering fear: fear of the police, fear of men in military uniforms.»
For Iryna, freedom also means making her own choices, even as a single parent. Our protagonist strives to give her daughters the right to make their own decisions as well, as long as those choices do not endanger their health.
«I give my children a lot of freedom. It’s always been that way because I love them with all my heart, and I value freedom in all its forms.»
– After her surgery, my daughter needed to have a drainage tube inserted to remove fluid. The doctors asked me whether we should put her under general anesthesia for the procedure. I immediately asked Izabella right then and there. But the doctors started yelling that I was the one who had to decide, not my child. I didn’t care what they said, though. I asked my daughter, and she said, «Yes.» So I repeated her decision to the doctors. Because first and foremost, she was the one who would feel the pain. Above all, it was her body. Their idea that I was supposed to make that kind of decision for my daughter seemed strange to me.
For Iryna, the most painful consequence of her imprisonment was its impact on her relationship with her children. Things were easier with the older one. The youngest, however, had changed dramatically.
– My older daughter, Milana, remained pretty much the same. Maybe she grew a bit wiser, having lost me for a while. But my youngest became closed off and quiet, even though before all this, she could easily walk onto a stage and dance.
«It truly weighed on me because I knew: it was my fault. I wasn’t there, and my child had a hard time.»
Iryna suspects that the girl may have faced bullying at school.
«Everyone around us knew that her mother was in prison. And her father was living abroad. So, the child was left without a mother and without a father.»
Now, things are starting to change. Izabella is gradually becoming more open and cheerful.
– Only now is she starting to open up, becoming happier and less shy.
Iryna is also striving to stay true to herself and to look for hope even in the darkest times. Above all, she wants to pass on these hard-won lessons to her daughters: the ability to stand up for themselves and protect others.
– No matter what is happening around me, I try to find something positive in everything. I want them to always fight for themselves and their future, too. Because my daughters are future mothers, and I was fighting for their future as well.
«I want them to be free in their views and in expressing themselves, and to fight for freedom. I also want them to protect the weak and help those in need.»
Milana is very proud of her mother.
– To her, I’m a hero. She always says, «I’m just like Mom.» I used to joke that she took after her father, but now she replies that she’s become like me. Hearing that means the world to me.
For Iryna, exile is not just about starting a new life—it is also about a constant longing for her former life in Belarus.
– The hardest part of living in exile is yearning for the places back home in Mozyr. I remember going to a creek, sitting there, listening to the rushing water and the birds singing.
«Often, while on the bus in Warsaw, I’ll spot places that remind me of Belarus. It feels like that exact street… Of course, it’s not Belarus, but the outskirts of Warsaw somehow take me right back home.»
– Sometimes I picture myself back in Mozyr. And my soul… my heart just lights up with joy. Your imagination can trick you so well that for a second, it feels like you really are right there in Mozyr.
Exile forced Iryna to pivot her plans, even though not long ago she was envisioning a quiet life surrounded by nature.
– I had already put myself out to pasture in Mozyr. I was planning to move to the countryside and just relax. And then exile came along and said, «No, you’re not retiring just yet. Get out there into the world and create.»
Back in Belarus, Iryna owned her apartment, and, as she puts it, living expenses were minimal. But exile changed everything.
«Now I have to work hard just to pay for rent, food, and basic everyday needs. I’m doing this all on my own. I feel like living in exile made me realize I still have more to contribute to this world—that I need to keep creating rather than retiring to enjoy a quiet life in the countryside.»
Iryna runs an art account on Instagram, where she showcases visions from her dreams and imagination. You can follow her account here. She also has over 70,000 followers on TikTok!
– This account doesn’t make any money, but it brings me so much joy.
Iryna imagines that one day, people will be able to commission dreams from her.
– I dream of worlds that don’t yet exist. Worlds that just aren’t here yet. Maybe they exist somewhere out there, I don’t know. I feel like my future profession is a dream designer. People will come to me and ask me to create dreams for them. I’ll use new technology to help them experience extraordinary places created around their preferences.
Currently, Iryna is actively looking for work and is open to various opportunities.
– What if someone could help me find a job? I have a wide range of skills. I’m a professional photographer and videographer. I’m proficient in a vast array of software, and I’ve spent the last year working with artificial intelligence.
After her release, she felt inspired once again. Creativity helped her get through what she didn’t want to look back on.
– Creativity allows you to get through the toughest times. When I was released and started working with AI, I was so happy—finally, something was inspiring me again. I was always busy with work, and that shielded me from everything I’d been through. I just didn’t want to dwell on the past.
Iryna describes her past as something she intentionally buried deep down.
«I locked it away in a box and didn’t want to think about it. If someone triggers those memories, I try to turn away so I don’t go back there.»
And yet, she shares how much she loves to sing. She even sang in the women’s penal colony when the guards weren’t listening. The women in her unit loved listening to her.
She also loves to paint. Her paintings are vibrant and colorful, even though many were created during a very difficult period in her life. Iryna creates using AI, too. She made a digital portrait of herself in the style of an iconic poster, wearing a pink headscarf—a nod to the mandatory uniform in the women’s penal colony.
Now, this incredible woman is discovering new passions. As it turns out, Iryna has been playing the guitar for a long time, but only recently discovered the ukulele. She admits she’s completely enchanted by this instrument.
«If I could meet myself on the day of my release, I wouldn’t promise myself an easy life. I’d say, «It’s going to be hard. There is so much difficulty ahead.» »
– But most importantly, I’d tell myself, «You’re going to make it. Just keep taking steps, keep moving, keep going—you’ll get through this.» There will be so many obstacles, problems, tears, and heartbreaks along the way. But you’ll overcome it all anyway. The universe has your back.
Romantic relationships don’t take up much space in Iryna’s life. She admits that building them is hard work for her and requires far too much emotional energy—energy she simply doesn’t have right now.
– Frankly speaking, forming relationships was difficult for me both before and after prison. They were usually short-lived. And right now, I just don’t feel like it. I was in a relationship for a bit, but then I realized I simply don’t have time for it anymore. I don’t think I even need anything like that. I suppose there’s someone out there who will change my mind. I just haven’t met him yet.
«I’m not actively looking for romance. Quite the opposite—to be honest, I try to avoid it. I just want peace and quiet. Relationships feel like a disruption to me. Someone always needs something, or you’re expected to cater to someone else.»
– Even so, I’m fully in touch with my femininity. And there’s strength in me, too. Men actually sense it when they’re around me. Maybe not right away, but eventually they realize who they’re dealing with. But at the same time, I love wearing makeup, I love getting my nails done—I love all of that. In short, I’m a strong woman.
Iryna shares that her blue-and-orange painting is the embodiment of the masculine and feminine. It can be hung in different ways, even turned upside down, and it will still feel completely right.
After her release, Iryna noticed that she was constantly anxious. At some point, she caught herself wondering for the first time: is it really normal to feel this way all the time? That was when she decided to see a psychiatrist and started taking prescribed antidepressants.
«And you know, it’s only been two months since I started antidepressants, and all that anxiety is completely gone! It’s just vanished. The most unexpected revelation was realizing that the constant background anxiety I’d considered a normal part of life actually wasn’t normal at all.»
– It turns out it wasn’t normal for years. At some point, my brain just said, «Go give it a try. Maybe it’s not supposed to be like this.» And yes, you can live without anxiety! I feel fine now. Even if everything around me starts falling apart, I somehow stay calm through it all.
A recent surgery for her younger daughter was yet another painful trial for the family. The operation lasted several hours and involved stopping her heart completely.
– They repaired a septal defect—a hole about this big. There was a massive shunting of blood into one side of the heart.
«The surgery itself was a success, but complications set in. Afterward, my daughter started swelling up, and then blisters appeared all over her body. An allergic reaction—most likely to the antibiotic she was given after the operation.»
On top of that, after the breathing tube was removed, the girl began having issues with her voice.
– They must have damaged her vocal cords. Izabella still struggles to speak properly. That’s another thing that needs treatment. And then there are the scars, too—we’ll need to do something about them later. They made a neat incision on her side rather than cutting down the middle of her chest.
– But there’s one more issue: her lower jaw is much larger than her upper jaw, creating a severe underbite. She’s extremely self-conscious about it. I’ve been referred to a surgeon.
«She might need jaw surgery, or upper jaw expansion—it’s all extremely complex. Even getting braces alone will cost several thousand dollars, not to mention if she ends up needing an expander or surgery.»
Iryna cannot count on free medical treatment. Right now, she’s trying to figure out how to handle it all—she is ready to work hard and she hopes for the support of others.
Iryna has a great zest for life and many plans, like traveling with her children and discovering different countries.
– I want to travel a lot, to take my children to see different countries. It’s so broadening, so inspiring. It’s good for creativity. My dream is to fly to another planet entirely, to be one of the first people to do it. And my whole life, I’ve dreamed of… teleporting. I feel like that will be possible one day, too.
In Iryna’s dreams, freedom knows no boundaries—neither national, nor physical, nor planetary.
For now, though, she is in Warsaw: drinking her morning coffee on the balcony, working, looking for new ways to make a living, raising her daughters on her own and trying to give them everything they need, creating worlds that don’t exist. And she has no desire to return—even in conversation—to the unfreedom she left behind.
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