#WeStandBYyou: 3 New Godparents from Germany
As part of our #WeStandBYyou campaign, Carolin Wagner (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), Ruppert Stüwe (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), and Tina Winklmann (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) have become godparents to Anastasiya Lazarenka, Kanstantsin Prytulenka, and Ihar Shukanau.
As part of our #WeStandBYyou campaign, Carolin Wagner (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), Ruppert Stüwe (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands), and Tina Winklmann (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) have become godparents to Anastasiya Lazarenka, Kanstantsin Prytulenka, and Ihar Shukanau.
Anastasiya Lazarenka worked as a lawyer until her arrest in early June 2022. She was arrested for allegedly passing on personal data to a Telegram channel. Lazarenka was charged under Article 130 (“incitement to hatred”) of the Criminal Code. In March 2023, it became known that she was also being investigated under Article 203-1 (“Illegal actions in relation to private information”) and Article 342 Part 1 (“Organization and preparation of actions that grossly disrupt public order”) of the Belarusian Criminal Code. According to the investigation, she allegedly organized an “unauthorized mass event” in August 2020 when she offered free legal advice to relatives of detainees near the notorious detention center on Akrescina Street in Minsk. As a result, she was sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Sviatlana Charapanava on May 11, 2023.
Carolin Wagner has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2021. This is already her second symbolic partnership with a political prisoner in Belarus. She reaffirms her commitment as follows: “Arrests, oppression, and torture. Almost no free reporting, hardly any news leaking out from the prisoners to their families. Belarus, the country that five years ago still dreamed of freedom, is now marked by fear and depression. But Belarus is also a country of courageous citizens who stand up for human rights, freedom, and democracy despite great dangers. People like lawyer Anastasiya Lazarenka: a courageous woman who was arrested on June 2, 2022, and sentenced to six years in prison. She is accused of organizing an “unauthorized mass event” while providing pro bono legal advice to relatives of detainees near a detention center in Minsk. With this partnership, I stand in solidarity with Anastasiya Lazarenka. Belarus must guarantee the release of this courageous woman and the many others who have been unjustly imprisoned! My thoughts are with Anastasiya Lazarenka, her son and relatives, and the many others who are suffering under the oppression of the Belarusian regime.”
Kanstantsin Prytulenka was the former deputy district prosecutor of Hlusk and was taken into custody in 2021. In a “confession video” released by the Investigative Committee, he stated that he had passed on personal data of government officials and a doctor to the Telegram chat “Black Book Belarus.” On July 18, 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison under Article 130 (“incitement to hatred”) and Article 203-1 (“illegal actions in relation to information about private life and personal data”) of the Belarusian Criminal Code.
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Ruppert Stüwe has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2021. This is his first godparenthood with LIBERECO. For him, democratic principles and human rights are non-negotiable, and he affirms his solidarity as follows: “Anyone who stands up for democracy and human rights in Belarus is exposed to systematic repression and political persecution by the regime. As a member of the Bundestag, I am taking on the parliamentary sponsorship of Kanstantsin Prytulenka, who has been sentenced to six years in prison. He is accused of sharing data from state officials involved in repression with an opposition initiative while serving as deputy prosecutor. Kanstantsin Prytulenka and all other political prisoners must be released immediately!”
Ihar Shukanau was forcibly arrested at his workplace on August 1, 2024. A video of him with visible injuries was then published on pro-government channels. He was initially charged under Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Later, criminal proceedings were initiated against Ihar for defaming Lukashenko (Article 367 of the Criminal Code) and participating in a peaceful assembly (Article 342 of the Criminal Code). On February 26, 2025, Judge Anatol Strelchanka began hearing his case at the Mozyr District Court. The length of his prison sentence is still unknown.
“I am sponsoring Ihar Shukanau because his case highlights the brutal arbitrariness of the Lukashenko regime. He is a worker and was violently arrested at his workplace, mistreated, and publicly defamed, solely for allegedly “slandering” the ruler and participating in a peaceful assembly. This is not justice, but political repression. As a member of the Bundestag, I see it as my responsibility to draw international attention to those who are politically persecuted. Sponsorships send a clear signal: those affected are not forgotten, and human rights violations do not go unpunished. I call for the immediate release of Ihar Shukanau and an end to systematic repression in Belarus. Germany and the EU must continue to consistently advocate for the release of all political prisoners and respect for human rights.”