I am Darya and I am originally from Belarus, where President Aljaksandr Lukashenko has ruled continuously since 1994.

In that time, my people have witnessed progressive restrictions of their civil and political liberties. During presidential elections, which nominally take place every five years, opposition candidates are arrested and illegally imprisoned for years, or disappear leaving no trace.

As an independent observer at polling stations during the 2020 elections, I witnessed a number of violations. I also took part in peaceful demonstrations in the capital Minsk, with thousands of other people who took to the streets to express their dissent against the government.

I suffered severe persecution by the state as a result of my civil and political activism. They threatened to arrest me and give me a long prison sentence. They told me they would take my son away and put him in an orphanage. I could not let that happen. I was forced to leave my country and find refuge in a safe place.

We arrived in Italy in July 2021, and in December of the same year, I was granted the refugee status. It was not easy to start a new life in a new country. But, for my own sake and my son’s, I did not give up. I now have a job and we live in a nice, sunny apartment.

Today, I no longer feel like a victim. I am stronger than I was before, I am able to talk about what I have experienced and what is happening in my country. I tell my story to young students*, boys and girls not much older than my son. Listening to stories and experiences like mine can help them to view the world around them with a critical eye and to become responsible citizens, better able to change the world and make it more just. I tell them that even today, there are around 1,600 political prisoners in Belarus who are serving sentences for fictitious charges. In prison they are exposed to torture and violence, they are underfed and denied clean water. The prison cells are very small, and people don’t see the sun for years. Their only crime, the same I committed, was to call for democracy and rights.

Now I finally have my life back. Every day I come one step closer to achieving my dream of helping others. Helping those who, like me, were forced to escape that nightmare.

I am part of a group of Belarusians who help fellow citizens, former political prisoners who have fled to Italy. We provide them with guidance and support on the path to inclusion. I don’t want other people to face the same obstacles I did. Arriving in a foreign country where you don’t know the language, the laws, or the bureaucracy, can make you feel alone.

Until Belarus is free from dictatorship, we will unfortunately not be able to return home. But through joint efforts, by helping and supporting each other, we can try to rebuild our lives here and to feel free again.

* Darya collaborates with Centro Astalli/JRS Italy through the project “Finestre – Storie di rifugiati.” It was launched in 2002 to encourage reflection, especially among young people and students, on the theme of exile, through direct contact with refugees and by listening to their stories.

*this article was originally published by Centro Astalli/JRS Italy (the article is in Italian).