Norway supports fund for political prisoners in Belarus
News story | Date: 30/04/2024 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Norwegian government will contribute NOK 10 million to a humanitarian fund to support released political prisoners from Belarus and their families.
The leader of the Belarusian democracy movement, Svjatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has taken the initiative to establish the fund.
The support will, among other things, include medical assistance and rehabilitation, financial support, and psychological assistance to released political prisoners and Belarusians who have been subjected to political repression.
“The situation for political prisoners in Belarus is appalling. There is a great need for assistance for the rehabilitation of former political prisoners and their families,” says Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
Tsikhanouskaya is in Oslo on Monday and Tuesday this week. She will meet Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, as well as the Norwegian Parliament and several other politicians and Norwegian stakeholders. She is also attending the Words Matter! conference.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will handle the practical follow-up of the humanitarian fund in close dialogue with other potential donors and actors.