A Liverpool FC fan, who sang You’ll Never Walk Alone to himself each day after being detained, is still behind bars three years on.
Andrei Aliaksandrau was detained in his home country of Belarus – a landlocked country bordered by Russia – in January 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in jail. The journalist was initially charged with “organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them”, but these were later ramped up to include high treason.
Belarusian authorities accused Andrei and his partner Irina Zlobina of allegedly paying fines and covering detention costs for people apprehended during a democracy protest in Belarus’ capital Minsk. The protests were in response to President Alexander Lukashenko's return to power as claims of widespread fraud marred the elections.
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This month marks three years since the couple's detention with Andrei being fined 32,000 rubles (roughly £280) on top of his imprisonment and Irina sentenced to nine years in prison. Since then, international human rights organisation ARTICLE 19, alongside Index on Censorship, has launched a solidarity campaign that continues today.
The campaign calls for Andrei and Irina as well as all other political prisoners in Belarus to be freed without delay.
Nik Williams, Index on Censorship’s policy and campaigns officer, told the ECHO: "Index continues to stand in solidarity with both Andrei and Irina who have been imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime solely for standing up for fundamental principles of democracy and human rights.
“Having spent three years in detention, both must be released without delay, alongside the 1000s of people imprisoned for raising their voices in support of Belarusian democracy. Ahead of Parliamentary and Presidential elections in 2024 and 2025 in Belarus, it is vital that free expression is protected for all. Democracy does not exist without free expression."
As a journalist, Andrei had worked for several years for the London-based Index on Censorship, an organisation which campaigns for freedom of expression. He had returned to Belarus but was still working as a freelance contributor when he was arrested.
Joanna Szymanska, senior programme officer at ARTICLE 19, said: “Andrei is a dedicated proponent of press freedom, who has previously worked with freedom of expression organisations as well as in journalism, including as a colleague at ARTICLE 19.
“We tried to send letters, but the latest response from Andrei dates back to 2021. We suspect he may not be receiving our letters, a situation many political prisoners in Belarus experience. Nevertheless, our thoughts are consistently with Andrei and Irina, and we will continue our work for their release.’
The ECHO previously reported that Andrei is a huge Liverpool Football Club fan. His former colleagues said he had been reciting the lyrics of the Reds anthem You'll Never Walk Alone each day in prison to keep himself going. At the time, former Index on Censorship editor-in-chief Rachael Jolley said Andrei is the sort of person who puts his life and soul into the cause of making people realise what is going on in Belarus.
She added: “He feels strongly about media freedom and feels the world doesn’t pay enough attention to what is going on there. He worked so hard to bring stories out of Belarus when most journalists would be too worried to cover them. He keeps covering stories when others have given up.”
The ECHO reported this week how a woman from Belarus feared for her life each time the doorbell rang. You can click here to read more about Masha Zinevitch’s experience and how she hopes to bring about change when visiting Liverpool.
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