Three more German MPs take over godparenthood for political prisoners in Belarus
As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco, Erhard Grundl (Bündnis90/The Greens), Maria Klein-Schmeink (Bündnis90/The Greens) and Gunther Krichbaum (CDU) have taken over a godparenthood for political prisoners Tsimur Pipiya, Tamaz Pipiya and Artsiom Vinakurau.
Tsimur Pipiya, a football fan of Partizan Minsk, was detained on September 25 in Minsk on suspicion of having organized protests on September 23, after the secret inauguration of Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
- Erhard Grundl, member of the German Bundestag
Erhard Grundl, member of the German Bundestag and the Sports Committee, has taken over the godparenthood for Tsimur Pipiya and stated: “I am deeply worried. Tsimur Pipiya has been detained together with his brother Tamaz Pipiya. The brothers have been in custody for weeks now. Both are football fans and belong to the left-wing football fan milieu of the now defunct Partisan Minsk Football Club. The Partisan Minsk fan scene is mainly against discrimination, for minorities and LGBT rights. That’s why they became a target of the regime. I call on the authorities in Belarus to release Tsimur Pipiya and all other political prisoners immediately. Freedom of expression is not a crime. It is a human right. This human right must also be applied in Belarus.”
Tamaz Pipiya, a football fan of Partizan Minsk, was detained on September 26 in Hrodna on suspicion of having organized protests on September 23, after the secret inauguration of Aliaksandr Lukashenka.
- Maria Klein-Schmeink, Member of the German Bundestag
Maria Klein-Schmeink, Member of the German Bundestag, has taken over the godparenthood for Tamaz Pipiya and stated: “As a deputy member of the Sports Committee of the German Bundestag, I stand up for Tamaz Pipiya. No one should be imprisoned because of their political stance and commitment against discrimination and for the rights of minorities and LGBT people. I demand the immediate release of Tamaz Pipiya.”
Artsiom Vinakurau is a 21-year-old student of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics. According to the Interior Ministry, on October 26, he and other students entered a classroom and began calling for a strike. Artsiom was detained on October 28 and a criminal case was instituted against him for organizing and preparing actions that violate public order.
- Gunther Krichbaum, Member of the German Bundestag
Gunther Krichbaum, Member of the German Bundestag and Chairman of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union, has taken over the godparenthood for Artsiom Vinakurau. On this occasion Mr Krichbaum stated: “The popular uprising in Belarus after the rigged presidential elections is mainly supported by the young generation. These young men and women no longer want to be cheated of their future by a dictatorial regime. I have great respect for Artsiom Vinakurau and his fellow students who oppose this criminal system. Therefore, I call on the rulers in Minsk to release Artsiom Vinakurau and all other peaceful demonstrators immediately, because these people are not criminals.”
