Last week I had the honour of meeting with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus and offering her my support in freeing political prisoners under Lukashenko’s regime. Tragically, her husband is one of those political prisoners.

Through Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights’s We Stand By You campaign, I am the godparent of Maksim Imkhavik, who is just 18 and wrongfully imprisoned in Belarus. I was very grateful to recently speak to his mother for an update on him, and heard their concerns on not knowing when he’ll be free.

More than a thousand political prisoners are still behind bars, and Belarusian people are fighting hard for freedoms of speech and assembly. The most important thing we can do today to support a free Belarus is to spread word and awareness of what is happening in the country.