#WeStandBYyou: 6 members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany become godparents
Annika Klose, Daniel Bettermann, Daniel Walter, Jens Behrens, Jürgen Coße, and Rasha Nasr have become godparents to political prisoners in Belarus.
As part of our #WeStandBYyou campaign, members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany Annika Klose, Daniel Bettermann, Daniel Walter, Jens Behrens, Jürgen Coße, and Rasha Nasr have become godparents to Tatsiana Stsepa, Yauhen Prapolski, Aliaksei Barodka, Siarhei Botvich, Yauhen Klimau, and Natallia Vasilyeva.
Tatsiana Stsepa expressed her solidarity with political prisoners and wrote letters to them. As a result, she was arrested in 2024 for “endangering national security” (Art. 361) and “promoting extremist activities” (Art. 361-4) under the Criminal Code and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in Homel.
Annika Klose has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2021. With her first symbolic sponsorship of Tatsiana Stsepa, she expresses her solidarity: “I demand the immediate release of Tatsiana Stsepa. She was imprisoned for writing letters to political prisoners and thus showing solidarity. She was sentenced to four years in prison for this. Her imprisonment violates fundamental human rights and freedoms. We are not looking away, but showing our solidarity with political prisoners in Belarus.”
Yauhen Prapolski was arrested in September 2020 for allegedly being the administrator of a Telegram channel classified as extremist by the authorities. He was charged with “participating in mass riots” (Art. 13; Art. 293) and “damage to property” (Art. 13; Art. 218) and was remanded in custody. In July 2021, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. Two years later, he was sentenced to another year in prison in Mazyr for “malicious disregard of the orders of the correctional facility” (Art. 411).
Daniel Bettermann has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2025. He is taking on his first symbolic sponsorship with LIBERECO and is supporting Yauhen Prapolski because: “What is happening in Belarus, around 1,200 km away from us in Germany, must not be forgotten amid all the other news of crises and wars. It is simply unacceptable that standing up for a peaceful life, for freedom and for respect for fundamental human rights should entail a life-threatening risk. Many people are risking their lives for democracy, the rule of law and a future without state repression. One of them is Yauhen Prapolski. He was sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for participating in a demonstration. Like the other 1,200 prisoners, his days are now dominated by hunger, torture, and sometimes horrific violence. We must not abandon these people. They must finally be released. I have taken on a sponsorship for Yauhen and will campaign to ensure that he can soon be reunited with his family. Belarus has a right to democracy.”
Aliaksei Barodka was an independent lawyer who defended political prisoners. He was arrested on January 23, 2023, because of his work and his comments on the internet, in which he denounced the numerous violations of the law in Belarus. A court subsequently sentenced him to six years in prison for “inciting hatred” (Art. 130). In addition, his law license was revoked.
Daniel Walter has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2025. He is becoming godparent to Aliaksei Barodka and expresses his commitment with: “In many countries, people are still being intimidated, criminalized, and imprisoned simply because they are peacefully campaigning for freedom and human rights. One of them is Aliaksei Barodka from Belarus. He was sentenced to six years in prison on the pretext of “inciting hatred” because he stood up for political prisoners. This form of repression clearly shows how authoritarian regimes try to stifle civil society engagement. This makes it all the more important to raise awareness of political prisoners and publicly support them. Sponsorship campaigns such as those run by LIBERECO give these people a voice and send a clear message of solidarity. We stand alongside all those who stand up for justice and freedom despite the risks. We demand their immediate and unconditional release. Aliaksei, #WeStandBYyou.”
Gallery
Siarhei Botvich was arrested in early 2023 and charged with “organizing unrest” (Art. 293). Judge Uladzimir Pazniak sentenced him to five years in prison in Babruysk.
Jens Behrens has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2025 and expresses his commitment to the sponsorship as follows: “Advocating for freedom of expression in Belarus is still very risky. Anyone who is involved in civil society runs the risk of being targeted by the Belarusian security apparatus. It is not uncommon for such involvement to end up in court. This was the case for Siarhei Botvich, who administered a chat group that called for participation in demonstrations. Siarhei was arrested two years ago and sentenced to five years in prison for “organizing mass unrest.” The verdict is based on purely political grounds and violates human rights. I therefore call on the Belarusian government to release Siarhei Botvich and all political prisoners.”
Yauhen Klimau has already begun, at the age of only 25, serving his five-year prison sentence in Navapolatsk, to which he was sentenced on March 25, 2022. Following his arrest on December 30, 2021, he was charged with leading an extremist association through the Telegram channel “Pietrykaŭ 97%” (Art. 361-1 of the Belarusian Criminal Code). He was also found guilty of inciting social hatred by spreading a message from the Telegram group “Nexta” (Art. 130 of the Belarusian Criminal Code).
Jürgen Coße has been an SPD member of the German Bundestag since October 2021. The Bundestag member is sponsoring political prisoner Yauhen Klimau. The foreign policy expert criticizes the continuing poor human rights situation in Belarus and calls for the release of all political prisoners: “Yauhen Klimau, like so many other political prisoners, was convicted on the basis of Article 130 of the Belarusian Criminal Code for alleged ‘incitement to hatred’. He has been innocently imprisoned in Belarus for almost four years. His only ‘offense’ was to run a Telegram channel and share reports of police violence. Freedom of expression and information are fundamental human rights. Yauhen Klimau exemplifies the courage of all those who stand up for these rights even under the conditions of an autocratic system such as that in Belarus and have to endure severe repression as a result. His case highlights the systematic criminalization of independent voices and the disregard for the rule of law by the Belarusian authorities. The international community must not remain silent on this issue. I urge the Belarusian government to release Yauhen Klimau and all political prisoners immediately!”
Natallia Vasilyeva, aged just 65, has begun serving her four-year prison sentence in Homel, to which she was sentenced in 2025. She was arrested for comments she posted online and subsequently convicted of “inciting hatred” (Art. 130).
Rasha Nasr has been a member of the German Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 2021. This is her first sponsorship with Libereco, with which she reaffirms her commitment and underscores the fundamental right to freedom of expression: “I am taking on the sponsorship for Natallia Vasilyeva, who was arrested on May 9, 2025. Natallia, a pensioner, was sentenced to four years in prison solely on the basis of her comments on the internet – on charges of “endangering national security” and “insulting the president.” This case is a shocking example of how freedom of expression is brutally suppressed in Belarus. It is symbolic of a system of political persecution that victimizes people solely because of their views. We must not allow the right to freedom of expression to be trampled on in Europe. By sponsoring Natallia, I want to express my solidarity with her and at the same time send a clear message: International support must be urgently stepped up for all those in Belarus who are persecuted because of their political views and critical statements. We must not abandon those who suffer for their convictions, and it is crucial that international pressure is maintained to force the immediate release of all political prisoners.”