Swiss MP takes over prisoner’s godparenthood for Siarhei Sparysh
As part of the solidarity campaign #WeStandBYyou of Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights, Claudia Friedl (National Council, SP) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Siarhei Sparysh.
- Siarhei Sparysh. Photo: Uladz Hrydzin / RFE/RL
Siarhei Sparysh, an activist of the social democratic party Narodnaya Hramada, was arrested on 25 June by plain-clothes police officers who dragged him from his home by physical force. The reason for his arrest was a 15-day administrative detention imposed on the activist for dropping flowers in the military cemetery in Minsk on 8 May. Siarhei Sparysh was indicted under Article 342 of the Belarusian Criminal Code in connection with an election rally of presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, held in Grodno on 29 May.
Claudia Friedl, member of the Swiss National Council, has taken over the prisoner’s godparenthood for Siarhei Sparysh. She explains: “Siarhei Sparysh is in remand in Minsk because he has been politically active on the opposition side. Political freedom of expression is the cornerstone of a free and independent civil society and a functioning democracy. We call on the President to respect this human right and to release political prisoners immediately.”
- Swiss MP Claudia Friedl
Libereco has also launched an English-language Telegram channel called "Free Belarus News" to cover the current events in Belarus. The channel offers latest news from Belarus, edited by independent journalists and human rights activists.
