Viktoryia Kulsha is a Belarusian female political prisoner who has been sentenced for the third time. She worked as a safety engineer initially, and in November 2020, she was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. Later, she was charged with disobedience to the demands of the colony administration, which resulted in an additional one-year sentence.
Recently, Viktoryia was sentenced to an additional one year in prison for disobedience to the administration’s demands, resulting in an extension of her original 3.5-year term by more one year. Human rights defenders report that Kulsha went on a hunger strike several times to protest against the administration’s actions, which included physical and psychological violence against her.
Volha Klaskouskaja, a former female political prisoner, was in one prison cell with Viktoryia in the Valadarka prison. Volha says that she really worries and sympathizes with her ex-cellmate.
“Vika is very strong and we really supported each other. Vika reflected a lot and said she feels pity that she didn’t participate in democratic movement of Belarus. She said that felt sorry that she didn’t consider democratic principles before. We always watched the propagandistic news on TV and discussed it actively with Vika, sometimes until late at night.
The water is cold in SIZO, and if there is a need to wash, it’s necessary to warm it with an electric water mini-heater. Vika washed her hair under those conditions every day. She said that bad thoughts come to her head if her hair is not clean. She is under new pressure now, as she has been charged again. I wish her to be strong and hope that she will be free soon like all other political prisoners”.
