Belarus: After five years in jail, opposition figure Tikhanovsky speaks out

Sergei Tikhanovsky was kept isolated in bare, tiny cells and tells the BBC that Belarus must free other political prisoners.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveI lost half my weight in jail, but I'm not broken, says freed Belarus opposition leader2 days agoShareSaveSarah RainsfordEastern and Southern Europe correspondentReporting fromLithuaniaShareSaveFrancesco Tosto/BBCSergei Tikhanovsky holds a poster of himself to show what he looked like before being arrestedSergei Tikhanovsky has barely spoken for more than five years.

All that time he was held in solitary confinement in a high security Belarusian prison for daring to stand up to a dictator.

Now the former opposition blogger is free, and words stream out of him so quickly that his thoughts sometimes struggle to keep up.

"The restriction on speaking was the hardest thing," Sergei confided when we met in Vilnius very soon after his surprise release.

"When you can't say or write anything, you can't talk to anyone and you're just trapped in a cell – that's the toughest thing – not the restriction on movement."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czey1y6x6zzo


Post ID: ec5d6b5d-a353-4533-b5cc-21637b5480d2
Rating: 5
Updated: 3 weeks ago
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