All Lies, From Beginning To End

Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk will remain a heroine, and propagandists will be punished.

Belarusian television showed a propaganda film with the participation of a political prisoner, activist of the European Belarus civil campaign Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, who has been imprisoned for four years under conditions of torture and pressure. Editor-in-Chief of the website Charter97.org Natallia Radzina reacted to this on Facebook:

— A vile and mean staged film was shown yesterday on BT about the activist of the European Belarus civil campaign Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk. Everything there is a lie, from beginning to end. Palina was taken around the empty colony; there was no one in the frame except her and the BT propagandists. The premises shown after fresh renovation are clearly not residential. It is quite obvious that the political prisoner, exhausted by torture, was forced to speak a pre-written text. They carefully prepared her for the film: they dressed her in a new uniform, did her makeup, and probably put her on increased nutrition the day before. Although everyone who knows Palina well could still see how exhausted she was by the hard labor conditions and constant stay in the punishment cell.

I would especially like to mention BT propagandist Anastasia Benedzisiuk, who did an “interview” with Palina. What kind of a total bitch and sadist do you have to be to show a mother a video with her son, whom she has not seen for more than three years, and the comment that “children are forgetting their mother”?

Lukashenka’s propagandists with their camp shows are accomplices of torture against political prisoners and crimes committed by the regime. They will inevitably bear responsibility. And Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk remains a heroic woman who went through the hellish Gulag system, fought against it with all her might, trying to maintain her dignity and faith in her ideals.

The famous Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky spent 405 days in torture conditions in a punishment cell during 9 years of imprisonment, and this was his absolute record. Russian political prisoner Alexey Navalny was in a punishment cell for 300 days. Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk spent 230 days in a punishment cell in the last year of imprisonment alone.

This strong, courageous woman deserves only boundless respect and admiration.

We look forward to seeing you free, Palina.