August 1, Pozirk. Finland has pledged to donate €50,000 to an international fund for support of Belarus’ political prisoners and their families, opposition politician Franak Viačorka has told Pozirk.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen announced the decision at her meeting with Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja in Helsinki.
The Belarusian opposition leader discussed ways to resolve legalization issues for Belarusians with expired passports who are afraid to go to Belarus for fear of politically-motivated persecution.
Earlier, the International Humanitarian Fund for Support of Political Prisoners in Belarus received donations from Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain and Sweden.
The fund finances rehabilitation and relocation costs.
Cichanoŭskaja has been on a three-day visit to Finland since July 30. She took part in Helsinki+50, an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conference organized at the initiative of the Finnish president and foreign minister.
Speaking at a discussion of human rights in Belarus hosted by the Finnish and Dutch Helsinki Committees, she said that reprisals in Belarus continue unabated with more people falling victim to politically-motivated persecution and dying behind bars. Those who are released remain under strict supervision and effectively become “hostages within their own country,” often facing travel bans and having their passports confiscated, she noted.
