On August 28, 2025, on behalf of the Belarus Women’s Foundation, Veronika Tsepkalo addressed an official letter to Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States, as a public and humanitarian voice traditionally advocating for the rights and protection of women, families, and children.
The letter appealed for support in securing the release of women political prisoners held in Belarus and called attention to their situation, conditions of detention, and the impact of repression on families and children.
Dear Mrs. Trump,
I write to you on a matter that weighs heavily on the conscience of the international community.
Activists from the Belarus Democratic Forum, supported by Nobel Peace Laureates, have appealed to President Donald J. Trump to help secure the release of more than 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus. We are grateful for his personal involvement in this humanitarian mission.
We now ask for your personal attention to the most urgent priority: the release of 192 women political prisoners. Many are mothers who have been separated from their children for years; 55 children are currently growing up without their mothers. Some prisoners are elderly, others gravely ill with cancer, and in several cases both mothers and daughters are imprisoned together.
Their release would not only reunite families but also mark the first step toward ending politically motivated prosecutions and enabling the return of more than half a million Belarusians forced into exile, one of Europe’s largest humanitarian crises since World War II.
The Belarus Women’s Foundation, which I Chair, documents every detained woman and supports them after release. For this work, the regime has sentenced in me in absentia to 12 years in prison.
Mrs. Trump, your voice carries singular moral weight. As First Lady of the United States and a steadfast advocate for children and families, you can inspire hope where it is most needed.
We respectfully urge you to lend your support to this cause and help reunite these women with their children and loved ones.
With profound respect,
Veronica Tsepkalo
Chair, Belarus Women's Foundation
28 августа 2025 года от имени Беларуского Женского Фонда Вероника Цепкало направила официальное письмо Первой леди Соединённых Штатов Америки Мелании Трамп как к общественному и гуманитарному голосу, традиционно выступающему в защиту женщин, семей и детей.
В письме содержалась просьба о содействии в освобождении женщин-политзаключённых, находящихся в заключении в Беларуси, а также призыв обратить внимание на их положение, условия содержания и последствия репрессий для семей и детей.
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