Is Dad still alive? The fear facing Belarusian families in exile | DW Reporter

For many Belarusian families in Warsaw, every day begins with the same question: Is there any sign of life from within the prisons of Lukashenko's regime? Thousands of opponents of the government have fled to Poland, and many families have been torn apart. The children of political prisoners wait in Warsaw for fathers or mothers imprisoned in Belarus - often without any contact. Support organizations help Belarusians rebuild their lives in exile, but the constant fear remains. Activists and former prisoners report systematic violence, intimidation, and human rights violations, as well as brutal conditions in prisons and prison camps. Working in exile, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya offers help to others who have been forced to leave the country. She is also pressing for international support for Belarus, while demanding the release of all political prisoners. Meanwhile, every Sunday, Belarusians in Warsaw demonstrate by calling out the names of prisoners and holding up their portraits. It's their way of making visible those the regime tried to make disappear - and to remind people that the fight for a free Belarus goes on.

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