"It is important for Panevėžys that human rights and democratic processes are ensured in neighbouring Belarus as well; therefore we are contributing to the campaign organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2018, the Belarusian city of Vitebsk has been the partner city of Paevėžys. Thus, we express great concern about how and under what conditions the people of our partner city live, “says Rytis Račkauskas, the Mayor of Panevėžys city.

The people of Belarus do not have as many civil rights as the citizens of democratic countries. As you know, having forged the results of the elections in 2020, the regime that ruled the presidential election drastically suppressed civil society protests, further restricting human rights and freedoms in the country. Unfortunately, the cases of human victims was also a reality. A large part of active human rights defenders are forced to leave the country and continue their work in exile - in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere. A year later, more than 880 political prisoners who showed civic courage and demanded democratic elections are still being held in prisons and colonies by the Belarussian regime.