"She Was Very Happy That Something Began to Change in Her Native Country"

• 5.04.2021, 16:11

The unusual story of Natalia Hershe.

A Belarusian with Swiss citizenship Natalia Hershe, sentenced to 2 and a half years for ripping off a balaclava from an AMAP officer, is serving her sentence in the Homel women's colony. In letters to her relatives, the woman writes that every day in prison is continuous stress, but she tries not to lose heart. Belsat was told about Natalia by her brother Henadz and her husband Robert.

Room for 28 women and an open toilet

51-year-old Natalia Hershe was transferred from Valadarka to the Homel women's colony in early March. After the Minsk City Court upheld the decision of the Savetski District Court on February 16, Natalia and her family decided to suspend further appeal. Natalia's brother Henadz Kasyan explains this decision by the senselessness of appeals in Belarus.

“We understand that nothing depends on the courts here - all the political prisoners will be in jail until there is the will of one person in the country to change that,” Henadz says.

In the Homel colony, Natalia spent two weeks in quarantine, and only recently was she transferred to the detachment. They allowed her to call her brother for 5 minutes.

- We talked about everyday issues. Natasha said that she was forced to wear poor-quality robes and shoes. She went to work - she cuts threads, - Henadz told about the conversation with his sister. - She said that she was taking antibiotics and two more medications that were prescribed to her after the last hunger strike. There are 28 people in the room, and in general, there are about 100 women in the detachment. According to Natalia, conditions are not very different from Valadarka. But the open toilet and unpleasant smells are very disturbing.

The first lawyer will be deprived of the license, the second is summoned to the commission

Natalia complains that the correspondence is poorly received. The woman calculated that 24 letters addressed to her were destroyed. Also in Homel, a woman does not receive subscription editions: Novy Chas, Our History. According to Henadz, the same situation is with another political prisoner, Volha Klaskouskaya. They were convoyed together with Natalia, the women were traveling on the same train. But Volha ended up in another squad.

There are difficulties with care packages.

- For example, five units of clothes can be transferred every three months, - Henadz says. - Natalia herself must order everything in a statement addressed to the head of the colony. I give the attorney photographs of the clothes, including the panties, he gives them to Natalia, and she must describe these things in the application. Savagery.

Natalia's lawyer is now local, from Homel. The first lawyer, Volha Baranchyk, did not pass the recertification, and she will be deprived of her license. The second lawyer, Iryna Bertsuk, is summoned to a meeting of the qualification commission in May.

»Why do we need to fight for drinking coffee?»

Natalia, according to her brother, tries to maintain a good mood. She talks about the work and conditions of detention in letters. So, Saturday, March 27 was the first day off in two weeks.

- Stress is everywhere, starting with waking up. At the factory, work lasts 6 hours, plus about an hour to go to the canteen. There is no time to eat here either, - Natalia Hershe writes. - There are 100 people in the squadron. When everyone comes home from work, wants to have something to eat or drink tea, coffee, a crowd of people with boilers, everyone is in a hurry, because soon there will be a check, and after it, there is the "vector" - a collective viewing of video material, and then no one can stay in the dining room. I ask: where is the respect for human dignity? Why should the ability to drink coffee turn into some kind of struggle? For the whole week, I never got a chance to drink tea after work. But all this is nonsense, there will be something to tell. I know why and for what I am here.

In April, according to Henadz, Natalia is expecting a visit from the Swiss ambassador. Henadz himself plans to visit his sister in May.

Even in her youth, she started "international relations" - she corresponded with a guy from Yugoslavia

Henadz and Natalia were born and spent their childhood in Orsha. The age difference between brother and sister is 1.5 years, Natalia is the youngest. Henadz recalls that they had the most ordinary Soviet childhood. The Kasyan had to be both Octobrists and pioneers.

Natalia loved to draw from childhood. She asked her mother to send her to an art school, but it was not possible since her brother was already studying at a music school on a paid basis, and there was not much money in the family. Therefore, Natalia developed her talent as best she could - she drew animals, dolls, dresses for them.

- She has always been a very creative person, lively, open, sociable, - Henadz says. - Every summer we were sent to pioneer camps. Natasha quickly made many new friends there.

Henadz recalls how he and his sister first encountered the foreign world, "started international relations."

- We had a hobby - correspondence with peers from other countries. Natalia corresponded with a guy from Yugoslavia, and this is how I found a friend in Poland, - the brother of the political prisoner says. - Natalia liked it very much. Then she first encountered a foreign country. This broadened my horizons.

Having survived a poor childhood, I did not want such a fate for my children

After school, Natalia went to study at a technical school as an accountant. In addition to studying, she was carried away by dogs. She bought an Airedale terrier puppy, which she named Gray. She really wanted this breed since such a dog was in the film "The Adventures of Electronic," Henadz recalls. She took care of the dog and participated in exhibitions with it.

In 1992 Natalia graduated from BSEU. She went to work as an accountant at a collective farm in Orsha district and, a year later, transferred to the social security department in Orsha. According to Henadz, Natalia really liked the work because was it close to home - she did not have to get up early, go somewhere. But the salary was scanty. The ex-husband did not always pay child support. Having gone through a poor childhood, Natalia did not want a repetition of such a fate for her children.

- When she decided to leave, I asked: why? - Henadz recalls. - My sister replied: When I imagined that I would spend my whole life going to work and home, from paycheck to paycheck, and nothing would change, and there would be only poverty and dullness around, I realized that I want a different future for children.

Has gone from a cleaning lady to a manager

Natalia started looking for ways to go abroad. Through the Internet, she met the Swiss Bruno Hershe. They liked each other, got married, but after a while, they parted. Natalia brought her children to Switzerland: son Fedor and daughter Violetta. She got a job in a small town as a cleaner at a local brewery. At that time, the woman was already fluent in German. The management noticed Natalia and her abilities, and she was offered another job.

On the career ladder, Natalia reached the quality control manager.

- It was no longer necessary to lift heavy boxes, and she was given her own office, - Henadz says. - There was more free time, and Natasha returned to her childhood hobby - drawing. She traveled 20 km to and from work every day through very beautiful Swiss landscapes that gave her inspiration.

Natalia began to paint portraits. Her abilities were noticed again - colleagues began to order portraits, paid for them. After a while, an exhibition of Natalia's works was held in the local art gallery, they wrote about her in the local newspaper, Henadz proudly tells. Natalia continues to paint behind bars.

Natalia Hershe lived in Switzerland for 12 years and received citizenship.

In 2020, she was carried away by changes at home

She became interested in politics and what is happening in her homeland already after the Square in 2010. Then she followed the rallies of "non-parasites" in 2017 and went to them in Orsha with her brother.

- We often discussed the events in Belarus in our conversations; Natalia was always very worried; in discussions with other people on social networks, she defended her views that the people deserve a different fate, that we can no longer tolerate all this that has been going on since 1994, that Belarus needs a different direction of development, - Henadz says.

In 2020, Natalia was carried away by the changes that she saw in Belarusian society. And as soon as the opportunity arose, she immediately flew home.

- She did not go to her native Orsha but remained in Minsk. Natalia fell in love with Minskers, with the yard concerts that were held then, tried not to miss a single one, - Henadz recalls. - She was very happy that something began to change in her native country, she said that she was convinced that if there are many of us, we can do everything.

"Political prisoners will sit in jail for as long as people will tolerate it"

The sentence did not change Natalia, her brother says:

- The protest that she had remained. Natasha says straight to a person what she thinks. She knows that she did not commit any crime, that she was detained with violations, that the sentence was unfair. All normal people understand this.

According to the brother of the political prisoner, at first, he was very indignant and was shocked by the court and the sentence for Natalia.

- After the verdict to Aliaksandr Kardziukou, I stopped being surprised, - the man notes. - I even rated Natalia's 2.5-year sentence as very mild in comparison with what I see and what could have been.

Although Henadz understands that the situation in the country is difficult and it is impossible to make any predictions, he is still optimistic.

- I’m sure that changes will come, it’s a matter of time, - he says. - It all depends on the people. Tsikhanouski said very aptly that his release completely depends on us. In fact, political prisoners will sit in jail for as long as people will tolerate it. But the brutality of the authorities causes more and more anger and indignation among people.

"We will win if we can overcome anger and hatred"

Natalia's husband, Robert Stegeli, is also waiting for victory. He met the Belarusian woman several years ago. He says that he immediately liked the character, Natalia's curiosity, sense of humor.

- She is very brave and strong, she does not give up right away, - says Robert about his beloved. - This is my first relationship in which I ask a loved one to be careful; before, it was the other way around. I am very sad that such a story happened to her that she was arrested. Natalia has become a dear person to me. I really hope that something will change in the situation with political prisoners, and we will be together again.

Robert was in Belarus with Natalia 1.5 years ago - they went to the woman's hometown, Orsha, and other places significant for Natalia.

Now Robert, like Natalia's children, is in correspondence with her through Henadz - he sends him letters, and Natalia's brother rewrites them by hand and sends them to his sister.

According to Robert, it is obvious that Belarus is now awake, the Belarusians want a better, more just, and humane future for themselves and their children.

- But I see that the euphoria of confidence in a quick victory for human rights has passed and that some other way is needed to improve the situation, - the Swiss notes. - I am sure that we can win only if we build bridges between us and our brothers, if we can overcome anger, hatred, and compassion, and forgiveness fill our hearts. If you can create a new Belarus, where there is room for everyone, not only for the winners, then you will definitely win.