Among some thousand political prisoners currently held by the Lukashenko regime are Andżelika Borys, one of the leaders of the Polish diaspora, and Polish activist and journalist Andrzej Poczobut, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported on Wednesday.
They have been incarcerated for the past nine months, it said.
Jan Dziedziczak, who is the Polish government’s commissioner for relations with compatriots living abroad, has asked citizens to "show that the imprisoned activists are in our thoughts" during Christmas.
He asked Poles to send festive wishes for Borys and Poczobut to a Facebook account, together with pictures of an empty place setting reserved at their Christmas dinner table.
Jan Dziedziczak. Photo: Wojciech Kusiński/Polish Radio
In a time-honoured Catholic tradition, Polish families leave one place setting empty for unexpected visitors at Christmas Eve, and this festive season they have been encouraged to dedicate this gesture to fellow Poles imprisoned beyond the country's eastern border.
The photos and Christmas wishes will be sent to Borys and Poczobut and their families, officials said.
Dziedziczak, who is an aide to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, told Polish Radio: “A two hours’ drive from the Polish capital, there is a country where you can be sent to jail for being Polish or for speaking your mind.”
He added: “On this most important of family holidays, Christmas, we would like to honour our compatriots and let them know that we are thinking about them at this special time of year.”
The solidarity campaign runs from Wednesday until Sunday, December 26, the IAR news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR