Sergei Tykanovsky, the husband of Belarus’ opposition leader, called on US President Donald Trump to “just say the word,” and asked all political prisoners in Belarus to be released.
Opposition activists were unexpectedly released on Saturday and reunited with their Lithuanian wife. Thirteen other political prisoners were also released and forced into exile.
The move saw US envoy Keith Kellogg travel to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, and meet the country’s authoritarian leader, Alexander Lukashenko.
It was the first famous American visit over the years.
At an emotional press conference the day after his release, Tikanovsky explained five years in solitary confinement, crying as he sought the freedom of more than 1,000 political prisoners still remained behind the bar.
He was arrested in 2020 for planning to run for president against Lukashenko in that summer election.
He was jailed for 18 years in 2021 after the court convicted him of massive protests against Lukashenko, among other politically motivated charges.
As a prominent opposition, Tikanovsky said he was detained in what he described as the “the most stringent regime” and blocked from all contact with the outside world.
“You haven’t received a letter, it’s not a single call. For five years, I couldn’t even confess to a priest. There’s no letter, no phone call, no priest, no lawyer,” he said.
Then he began to sob.
“It’s a nightmare,” he said. “You ask about torture. Isn’t it torture? The murderers can watch TV in prison, they have everything. But I didn’t even get a letter.
He had spoken very little to no one other than prison guards for years and sometimes had a hard time talking on Sundays.
“How can you do that? You [the regime] Think about our criminals. But we have the rights,” he said.
“It’s inhuman. It’s a nightmare. They have to stop this. We have to kick people out.”
He called on the President of the United States for more help.
“Trump has that power and such a possibility, and in one word he can free all political prisoners. I ask him to say that word now,” he added.
His wife, Svetlana Tikanovskaya, wiped out her own tears while he spoke. Previously, she called him a “personal hero.”
She also explained that their daughters were not aware of their father as he changed a lot in prison and lost a lot of weight.
She said Lukashenko received one thing from the US administration in return for Saturday’s release of prisoners – a visit from US envoy Kellogg.
He can present it as a diplomatic breakthrough for years of political isolation due to the suppression of domestic objections and his support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But Tikanovsky said that what Belarus wants most is to remove US sanctions.
Before his arrest, Tikanovsky was a colorful and outspoken person who gained huge support in Belarus on social media.
Vobloggers and activists were calling on people to “stop cockroaches” by referring to Lukashenko, and patrolling the country to meet people in town squares and villagers to hear their concerns.
After being arrested in 2020, his wife intervened to run for president in his place in the August election.
When Lukashenko declared another landslide victory, her supporters flooded the streets with the biggest protest Belarus ever known.
They were mercilessly crushed, and Tikanovskaya was forced to flee the country.
“The opposition leader is my wife Svetlana Tikanovskaya and I will not assert anything,” Tikanovsky revealed on Sunday, claiming that he has no intention of taking over the leadership of the Belarusian opposition.
Previously, he had raised his fist of rebellion.
“I want to say to all Belarusians – if you were waiting for a symbol, this is it,” he said.
He said he regrets nothing he did – despite the treatment he received as a result.
However, he added that his release from prison saved his life.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have left their country since the brutal crackdown on widespread opposition protests in 2020.
Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in the country over the past five years for political reasons, according to human rights group Viasna.
