"After so many years of work, he was able to keep a tender heart." Human rights activist Valiantsin Stefanovich celebrated his 50th anniversary behind bars
On October 14, the human rights activist of "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich turned 50 years old. He met his anniversary behind bars. "Let the authorities consider me a smuggler, but there are many people I helped, and I am proud of it," he wrote from Valadarka.
His acquaintances and friends told about Valiantsin on the eve of his anniversary.
He dreamed of becoming a forester, a sailor, a machinist, a lawyer
Valiantsin Stefanovich was born in Minsk. He was named after his maternal grandmother Valiantsina Sukhorzhevskaya. Antanina's mother was also born in Minsk, but originally comes from Siberia. Family friends say that Antanina has an eye-catching Asian appearance, so she was often mocked: "go to China to your father Mao Zedong", they said. It's not surprising that Valiantsin has not been tolerating any manifestations of racism since childhood. Father Kastus' hails from Glusk, in the Mahileu region.
His parents studied at Minsk Architectural College. Kanstantsin became a builder, traveled almost the entire Soviet Union, and Antanina worked as an engineer at a design institute.
As a child, Valiantsin dreamed of becoming a forester, a sailor and even a train driver. But parents wanted their son to become an engineer. Valiantsin himself admitted that the end of the 1980s most influenced his personality.
"Perestroika, the destruction of the communist ideological system. We, teenagers of that time, were quite cynical about everything Soviet, because we no longer believed in communist dogmas and openly mocked Soviet "shrines", he said.
"If Valentin had not become a human rights activist, he would have turned out to be a wonderful DJ"
In the 1980s and 1990s, Valiantsin Stefanovich became seriously interested in music. Then I listened to such rock bands as "Kino", "DDT", "Alisa".
"If Valiantsin hadn't become a human rights activist, he would have turned out to be an outstanding DJ. All his life he has been fond of music," says Stefanovich's wife Alina.
Contrary to the rules of the time, Valiantsin deliberately refused to join the Komsomol. He wore his hair long. Like all Soviet young men, he was called up to serve in the army: he had been taken in the USSR, and he returned to independent Belarus. Served in Lida.
After the army, he entered the Institute of International Labor Relations. During his studies, he dreamed of becoming a lawyer. He had an internship at the prosecutor's office. After the May 1995 referendum, he decided not to enter public service. And he graduated from the institute with a red diploma.
"You should help people, not wipe your pants in the office at the factory"
After graduation, Valiantsin worked as a lawyer at the Minsk Bearing Plant. He came to the public reception of the human rights center "Viasna", which was established in 1996. The chairman of the Viasna Ales Bialiatski noticed a young lawyer, principled, stubborn. "Valik, you are a competent, experienced lawyer, so you should help people, and not wipe your pants in the office at the factory," Ales Bialiatski said.
"In Viasna, we met people with various problems, helped with writing complaints, acted as public defenders at trials (it was legal at that time). I remember that they acted as defenders even at criminal trials. For example, they helped to acquit Vladimir Pleshchenko, who was accused of stealing the bust of Suvorov in Vitebsk," Valiantsin recalled about human rights defenders in the 1990s.
Valiantsin went through the school called "The Young Front", where he met his wife Alina. She is a translator, a graduate of the linguistic university. Now the couple have three children.
Valiantsin Stefanovich actually took over the leadership of the "Viasna" in 2011, when the chairman of the human rights center Ales Bialiatski was arrested and put in jail for 4.5 years.
In 2012, he was included in the "black lists" of those who were not allowed to go abroad. The reason was absurd: allegedly because of problems with the army, although by that time it had already been 20 years since he had served.
"It only seems from the first view that we always stay calm and react normally to everything. In fact, this is not the case," said Stefanovich about the psychological burden of his work.
"For Valik, the most important thing is family"
After Ales Bialiatski's release from prison, "Viasna" continued to work. Dozens of young people have joined the human rights defenders who became volunteers, gaining experience from their seniors. Darya Rubleuskaya is one of them.
- Darya Rubleuskaya
"Valiantsin is a very experienced lawyer who taught me to look at many “ordinary and unusual" moments from a different angle: for instance, on the topic of the death penalty. By the way, in his letters he still talks about important developments in the field of human rights protection and even teaches fellow inmates the concept of human rights in the pre-trial detention center.
I can't even imagine how Valentin was able to maintain such a tender heart and empathy after so many years of work! It's really a miracle and, I'm sure, a lot of work on oneself," says Darya.
She recollects that she really loved Valentine's conversations in the office kitchen — about the adventures of their family cats and what progress his children were making.
"He was just shining when he told it! It is noticeable that the most important thing for Valik is his family, and I sincerely wish him to celebrate his next birthdays with close relatives."
"Even behind bars, Valiantsin remains a truly free man"
Stefanovich's colleague Anastasiya Vasilchuk says that she really misses her older friend.
"He is so principled, independent and straightforward in his human rights work, also a kind, sincere and empathetic person with his family and friends.
A few months before his detention, he had often told me that he was anticipating detention and preparing for it. Trying ro support, I told everything would be fine.
In July last year, he once said that we, the Viasnoutsy, would definitely meet together in the fall. And I made a bad joke: “How so, they'll put you in jail.", to which he confidently replied that he now did not think so and that he would be free. A few days later he was detained," Anastasiya recalls with sadness and regret.
Now Valiantsin is facing a long term of imprisonment.
"I urge you to support him with letters and postcards, and perhaps you will receive his letter in response which will be like a breath of fresh air. After all, even behind bars, he remains a truly free person. After all, it was not possible to kill his inner freedom," Anastasiya Vasilchuk is convinced.
"This is the standard of a human rights defender"
On July 14, 2021, the human rights center "Viasna" was actually defeated. The security forces came with searches to the office and home of Valiantsin Stefanovich, Ales Bialiatski, Uladzimir Labkovich and others. Six defenders from "Viasna" are now behind bars.
Human rights activist Marfa Rabkova was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Volunteer Andrei Chapiuk was put in jail for 6 years, Gomel human rights activist Leanid Sudalenka — for 3 years. Stefanovich, Bialiatski, Labkovich face up to 12 years in prison.
Chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak has known Stefanovich for almost a quarter of a century.
"Valiantsin Stefanovich, in my book, is the standard of a human rights defender. He combines human qualities and a warm heart: on the one hand, he can be very harsh, demanding, and at the same time he is someone with much romance in his soul.
It is outrageous that human rights defenders are being charged with such absurd accusations.This is illegal, unfair. I really want to see all of them free as soon as possible.
The Nobel Peace Prize, which was recently quite deservedly awarded to the chairman of the "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski, belongs to all Viasnutsy, and to Valiantsin Stefanovich, too" said Oleg Gulak, a colleague, chairman of the BHC.
