“I celebrated my last birthday in a cell. We were eighteen women in space for four. I made the mattress myself, putting my clothes on the bed base ». Yuliya Yukhno is 32 years old and comes from Minsk, the capital of Belarus and of the last European regime: that of Alexander Lukashenko. She becomes a dissident in spite of herself, after losing her job over an Instagram comment in which she criticized a government parade that paraded through the streets of the city in May. “I was a real estate agent – he continues – they fired me because the company was close to Lukashenko”.
The president has been in office since July 20, 1994 and was re-elected for the sixth consecutive term. The disputed elections of 2020 generated a long aftermath of protests against a government with strong authoritarian traits. In recent weeks, Lukashenko has triggered a diplomatic crisis by exerting instrumental pressure on the Polish border, pushing migrants in Belarus towards the neighboring country, which has always been opposed to reception. “For Lukashenko, human life costs nothing,” Yuliya says bitterly.
What prompted you to oppose the regime?
“In Belarus there are no opponents, almost all citizens are against President Lukashenko. But protesting is dangerous and one gets arrested for nothing. ”
As in his case.
“I ended up in the cell twice. The first, in February. I had created silicone bracelets, as you see so many around. I called them “bracelets of change” because they had the colors of the old flag. The red and white one of the Belarusian People’s Republic, which has become the symbol of dissidents. This was enough to end up in my cell, first in the KGB headquarters and then in a real prison. There was no shower, we had nothing, not even a toothbrush. It was the first time I slept on the floor, because there weren’t enough beds for everyone. My parents sent me a package with clothes and the necessary to have a minimum of dignity. They handed him over to me after serving his two-week sentence “
When was she arrested the second time?
“In July. The policemen showed up at my house without identifying themselves, in overalls and without uniform. They held me because I kept them out of the apartment for about two hours. I gave in when they started banging on the door to break it down. They threatened me, telling me that if I didn’t shut up I would be in prison for years. At least this time the bed base was there. But I made the mattress with my clothes. We were eighteen women in a cell for four. I fell ill with Covid, like eighty other people in the same prison ».
Were you mistreated while in detention?
“The police beat everyone on the street, men and women. But in the cell he uses other methods. Like the fascists, they try to bend your resolve rather than harm your body. But this is not possible, because the hope is very strong. After my last incarceration, I got a Polish humanitarian visa, the only chance I had to leave Belarus. From there I started traveling to tell the story of those who protest against Lukashenko. I also met with many students in Italy: I was also in Trento, Milan, Crema, I will soon be in Turin ».
Are you planning to return to Belarus?
“My whole family is there: two sisters, my father and my mother. When I hear the news coming from there, I want to go back. But I would be arrested again, and become a political prisoner like many others. I could go up to 7-8 years in prison for crimes I’ve never committed. I am not afraid of prison, but from the outside I can do more. Even if I can’t reconnect with my affections ».
Yuliya Yukhno will be in Turin on Saturday 27 November to bring her experience during the barefoot walk that will end at the Polish consulate in the city. The radicals organize a protest against “the absolute silence on the misdeeds of the Lukashenko regime, we ask again for the resignation of the honorary consul of Belarus in Turin, Fabrizio Comba, regional spokesman of the Brothers of Italy”,