Five days after his release from prison, Belarusian opposition leader Sergei Tsikhanouski, husband of exiled President-elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, addressed the UN Human Rights Council on June 26, 2025:
“Mr. President,
I was tortured. I was held in solitary confinement. I was frozen.
I wasn’t even given a pen to write a few words. For years, I didn’t receive a single letter, not even from my daughter. They filled my ears with lies and propaganda. They tried to convince me that everyone had forgotten me.
What is happening in Belarusian prisons is not law enforcement. It is torture, abuse, and the destruction of human beings. People are literally being killed behind bars. I only got out of this alive thanks to international solidarity and especially thanks to the efforts of the USA administration.
Now I want everyone to be free. More than 1000 people are still behind bars. We must fight for each and every one of them.
The United Nations must act. This is not politics. This is a humanitarian issue. It is not even just a human rights issue. It is a matter of life and death.
I urge the UN Secretary-General to intervene, to use every resource to save these lives.
And I urge all of you: speak out about what is happening in the very heart of Europe.
To all Belarusians, keep fighting, because freedom is the most precious thing a person has. And it belongs to everyone, not just the chosen few.
Thank you.”
