risking everything's your life, your freedom, the custody for your children. what was the most painful moment during this time? oh, you know, there were a lot of painful moments but may be, for me personally, the most painful moment was when they had to leave bella ross. when i was threatened and they had to choose her between children and freedom. and so as i have her toward children who are hard of hearing, i have to take care of them. so that momento i chose to be with them. but i didn't give up my fight and i for this 2 years, i am fight and own side with all berson. it was actually you husband who was running for president in 2020. and only after he got arrested, you decided that decided to step in as a candidate, a mother and a wife. not a politician. why did you decide to, to do that? in my husband was

a you to blogger. and here traveled in bill was from city to city, asking people how it is to live under dictatorship. and it inspired him to run for president because he really believed that everything should be changed. that people have to be cared about, not the government and the he was arrested immediately because he dared to challenge the regime. and my 1st step on what i decided to run instead of him was only for my husband. i had no interest in politics at all. but at that moment i had necessity to show him that what he was doing was important for me as well. but of course then when i saw how many people were involved in this fight, how are our, what nation walk up? so of course i was change and together with my people, it was important for me personally, i understood that we are all responsible for the future of our country. our people

realize that their feed is in their hand, hence, and nobody would make changes for them. and your husband is still in jail, sentenced to 18 years. how is he doing? on the 29th of me, it will be exactly 2 years. ah, while he is in prison and one and half of or 4 of which his band in sorts resell the conditions or for political prisoners, embarrass and prisons are awful. they much worse than for ordinary criminals. now are, were the relative women actual in prison and they beat you? people are morally and physical, humiliated. they are tortured. our women are deprived of her hygenic, her issues, you know, and ah, it's really torture to be there. and her own cushion, gast regime is doing everything possible toward shore to other people don't raise

up because you will have the same feed as our beloved. but despite of terror and repressions, our people don't give up and dirt. my husband and mark olenick event either political prisoners. the number of each year at the moment is 1200 ah, very strong day behind the bus. they believe in us. they believe in people who are on free them. they're fighting for them. and it says in our, our obligation or to continue our fight or get this fight to its final and vian them. because people, there are wheaton, they sacrificed with the freedom with their lives to give us a paternity to continue. so that's why our movement is a life and of course our aim is to release or political prisoners stop repressions in our country and hold new friends for elections because of caution. co last elections in 2020, but with the help of russia and the violence he's managing to keep it. and how do

you speak about your husband and the whole situation with your children? actually, my children know that they're dead. it is in prison. but my younger daughter, she is 6 ah, i think that she doesn't know doesn't understand what prison is and but still every night when i'm at home she asks me when i'm going to see my dad him. and it's so painful. and i realized that there are thousands of children or wait and they parents home. there are thousands of polluted families. so i explained is i can, that you will see where the soon, you know, and this questions, this pain of my children also doesn't give me a chance to stop and the same bout in all the rest of the people. and now you live in exile and as you just said, there are still so many political prisoners in beulah rose. and sir,

the country's authoritarian ruler, alexander lucas shanker, is still in a power. so tell us more about the situation. their presence are going on, they are continuing their at number. political prisoners is in prison every day, and lately awful law was adopted by the legitimate wickersham guy that people fought. attempted heir terrorism can be sentenced to death. so it's very important for us to tell the world what's going on in order to hold consistent policy towards bureaus and the european union has imposed one sanctions package after the other and are now looking for ways to introduce new measures to heard the regime, not the ordinary people, but so far it seems that the sanctions were not able to bring about a change in your country. so why what is needed or crystal for a sanction sir,

is not a silver bullet. but sanctions deprive the regime of resources. these play tallies and her fright with corruption schemes. but i have to say that or i always hear that we impose swimming sanctions possible. they don't walk for sanctions, have been imposed in 10 months after our arrival ocean. on the after a hijacking or friend there flight than after migration crisis. so real sanctions were imposed on lu when a threat appeared for european security. and the i have to say that after the war has died and the new question could became co aggressive this war and in your sanctions were imposed. sanctions started to walk only recently and her august august resume. feel the sanctions. that's why. oh gosh august, kronos astro. are trying now to lift sanctions in change of blood mailing. actually, because migrations was blackmail. now, are they asked begin the bowden?

no food security in the wards in all she was saying that lifting of sanctions will give possibility to toys or this for security. so ah, i have to say that you can't choose between our people's lives in our country and hunger. for example, i'm sure that her wilson fight united europe recently and it's very important now talk, stay united and more talk. if sanctions for example, at least at the moment it will earn cross out everything that has been that has been done before. so her, on my, every meeting, i'm asking to continue this in all strategy to was bill arose. no, because so lifting of sanctions for example, or no, maybe some negotiations, the regime will print,

i came to impunity and it will cause a greater problems. so i'm happy to see and to hear from our pulled her allies, that no dialogue is impossible, nor dialogue is possible. herb with lucas shanker behind biller since back and this data should been not between europe and the regime. dial a king, our country should be between regime and bill or some people. and you just, her said that that are right now all eyes are on russia. so brutal assault on ukraine and that overshadows everything. so how difficult is it for you to convince you of not to forget you cause christopher's? i'm look a shank, i became quite aggressive. this one not bill arrows. i would you to divide walker shanker, regime who became collaborate in this war. and there were some people who are fightin or the side of ukrainians. i. i know that it

some credit politicians understand how bela ross is important in this in jail political situation. because without freebie laross, there will be constant threat to ukraine to r y, a western neighbors. so it's a very important tool are also to give guarantees of 4 girls sense as well as security guarantees. and that russian troops who are still in our concert has to be, have to be withdrawn from bureaus as well. no. so we are support in ukraine. we are fighting against dictator and be in need. of course, a lot of attention. i understand that sir. attention result with refocused on ukraine and we fully understand this. we supported because we understand how freedom of ukraine is important for both and freedom as well. as you once said, that the fate of ukraine is intertwined with the fate of the bill, or with some people. i've told her, i have to say that say a kremlin

a doesn't recognize, sir. not billable snore. ukraine as separate nations are separate sir cancerous. so now we understand that without 3 korean resume will prevail in billows. and that's why when the war has started a hundreds of thousands of dollars since when to the strip to show they issued to the war. according to all pools, 86 percent of there were some people don't support the war. and a lot of for those and men went all ukraine to fight alongside ukrainians. so again, when your her, when excellently billers became co, chris and this was, it was a her not fair to was bill or some people the course be on the side of ukrainians. now we are here in the german city of ahem. were you and 2 fellow opposition? leaders have been awarded, were the charlemagne prize one of the most her prestigious prices in the european

union. how is this prize going to help you cause her? first of all, i have to say that this price is not for me. or even for our 3 or it for all and her previous hands to journalists all activities to volunteers. and i think that there a sense of deserve this price because as said, 12th century segora, how the mind united europe now invented when to be united. europe as well, because despite off, ah, political, her argues between parties between countries where there was consolidated policy towards barrows and it was very strong european voice. so, ah, this, this price is of the key to, to all our prayer people. and of course, it will help us to trek a higher, more attention to our situation, to our country. that as you said, is to have overshadow tollbooth beat by a ukraine and to again and again explained that our fight is going on,

that repressions are going on. in our country that there is or know that certain critic, walter will not have to give opportunity for caution. got to survive this time to plan as he can. oscar. thank you very much. with

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w. a. this is d w. news live from berlin. russia intensifies its assaults on dumbass, towns and cities are hit by intense shelling of moscow focuses on capturing ukraine's industrial hot land. also on the program, german chancellor, olaf sholtes tells the world economic forum that russia cannot be allowed to win the war and the vigil for the victims of america's worst school shooting for a decade, which has renewed the debate of a gun violence in the u. s.