#WeStandBYyou: Two new Godparents from Lithuania and Germany for political prisoners in Belarus

Artur Holubeu, born in 1990, has been in custody since 11 June 2023. The court sentenced him to 4.5 years’ imprisonment for “disturbing public order” (Art. 342) and “insulting the President” (Art. 368), “insulting a government representative” (Art. 369) and “use of violence or threats against a public official” (Art. 366).

Tomas Tomilinas is a Member of the Seimas and co-founder of the Democratic Union ‘For Lithuania’ (Demokratų frakcija ‘Vardan Lietuvos’). He is supporting Artur Holubeu with his first sponsorship and says: “My main motivation to become a #WeStandBYyou godparent is to show solidarity with people that fight for our values and know for that democracy is not a given by nature, but its a goal that we have to seek for always. As an MP I work in the group for democratic Belarus and its my obligation to help.”

Taras Machynski was arrested on 16 June 2022 and later charged with demonstrating solidarity with Ukraine. He had gathered information about the movements of the Russian military in Belarus and shared it; the prosecution accused Taras of ‘acting as an agent on behalf of Ukraine’. The court accepted this interpretation and sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment for “high treason” (Article 356). At the time of his arrest, Taras was the father of four young children, including a newborn baby who will have no memories of him. He is also suffering severely from psychological abuse and treatment that violates human rights whilst in prison, having been held for several weeks in freezing, solitary confinement cells. He compared the conditions of his detention to those in former concentration camps.

Tina Winklmann is a Member of the German Bundestag for Bündnis90/Die Grünen. With her third #WeStandBYyou godparenthood, she is supporting Taras Machynski, explaining: “I am taking on the political godparenthood of Taras Machynski. His trial took place behind closed doors, shielding it from any independent scrutiny. This approach is part of the Lukashenko regime’s systematic persecution of dissidents. Secret trials without public scrutiny are a hallmark of a judicial system that serves not the rule of law, but the preservation of power. By taking on this godparenthood, I wish to help ensure that Taras Machynski’s case is not forgotten. I will campaign for his release and for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus. Political godparenthoods are a visible sign of solidarity and send a clear message to the regime in Minsk that the persecution of innocent people will not go unnoticed.”