“Do not be afraid. If I die, I will know that I was able to take a sip of freedom”
On May 29th, 81-year-old Galina Andreychik came to a peaceful picket to leave her signature for an alternative candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Galina also wanted to personally meet with a popular vlogger Syarhei Tsikhanouski. Syarhei’s vlog «A Country for Life» covers deep problems of Belarusians and counts more than 240K subscribers…
According to Galina, she had difficulty walking. Nevertheless, she found strength to come to the meeting with the vlogger. Once she arrived at the picket, Galina felt a little bit confused and stood by. As a matter of chance, Syarhei noticed the woman among the crowd. People stepped aside…and Galina Filipovna let her emotions flow
The woman shared that she wanted to speak up before she would pass away. She wanted to show her active civil position and thank Tsikhanouski for appealing to people.
«Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid. If I die, I will know that I was able to take a sip of freedom»
Galina moved the participants of the picket and the viewers of the online stream to tears. On that sentimental note, Syarhei led Galina to the table so that she could leave her signature.
The picket ended with a provocation as a result of which blogger Syarhei Tsikhanouski and another 9 people were detained. Sergei is still deprived of his liberty and is in custody.
Few days after the picket, the state television channel published a reportage about Galina Filipovna. It showed how during the government session Alexander Lukashenko commented on Galina’s «coming out»:
“ So I looked at someone who is living in Hrodna [a city where Galina lives] and it seems to me that they are doing quite well. They say “Lukashenko is bad.” But they themselves live in palaces! I’ve seen an 80-year-old woman shouting. Then they [Lukashenko’s officers] send me a photograph of her [Galina’s] son’s mansion and her own mansion standing next to each other. Is there something she is lacking?’’ — Lukashenko was outraged.
His comment was followed by a video, shot from a drone, that showed the land of Galina and her family. The journalists created a plot around her family, falsifying the real facts and manipulating the image.
Galina and her son didn’t give the permission to film their property. Now, she is afraid that her family will suffer because of her active citizenship.
Who is Galina Filipovna?
Galina Filipovna Andreychik holds PhD in Economics. She worked 38 years at several Universities, giving lectures and doing academic research. Despite worsening physical health, she is trying to remain active and to follow the independent journalists on the internet. Syarhei Tsikhanouski’s videos opened her eyes to the harsh living conditions of Belarusians across the country.
In future, she wants to see Belarus as a free, parliamentary republic.
