Natallia Dulina publicly responded to slander from another political prisoner, Halina Dzerbysh

Natallia Dulina

"I really didn't want to talk or write about this. When all this started here, in emigration, I firmly decided not to justify myself to anyone and not to make public statements. The colony taught me this. To preserve one's dignity, it's best not to respond to provocations and aggression. The main thing is what I know about myself and my actions.

But what forced me to take up my Facebook pen was something I accidentally found on Siarhei Piatrukhin's page. It's about public accusations made by former political prisoner Halina Dzerbysh against another former political prisoner, Ksenia Lutskina.

And now I am forced to intervene and speak about it, because Halina is persecuting Ksenia because of me.

When "Nasha Niva" interviewed Halina Dzerbysh, she also told our correspondent about her grievances against Dulina. We checked the information she provided through other political prisoners and confirmed that the accusations were baseless.

It all started when Halina and I ended up in the same unit. At first, we had a good relationship, but then at some point, she took a dislike to me and started saying nasty things about me. She turned all the new girls who came to the unit, especially the political ones, against me. She declared that I was no "political prisoner," but "dust under the fence" — that's what she called me, and that's probably the most harmless expression among those she generously showered on me. And then she started telling everyone around that I was "working" for the colony administration.

I never complained to anyone about her or any of my other offenders. We are all in the same boat, all of us defenseless and completely dependent on the colony's authorities; how could one run to them for help? By the way, she once publicly told a convicted woman that she would gladly cut her throat. The woman complained to the unit's operative, who gathered us, the pensioners — the other girls were at work — and began to ask us if Halina had really said such a thing. I didn't betray her, saying I hadn't heard anything like that. And Halina appreciated this and told me so.

And then it all continued. In the colony, we are all exposed. If someone among us communicates with the operatives, it cannot go unnoticed. The administration did not bother me, but some employees harassed and punished me, mostly with some cleaning duties. Once I even had to paint walls in the premises, although pensioners were usually not involved in such work; there's even a law in the Correctional Code, Article 101. All this was before her eyes. Would they force me to do this if I were working for the staff?

Eventually, Halina and I were separated into different units. And she ended up in the same unit with Ksenia Lutskina. Halina immediately started telling Ksenia how bad I was, and when Ksenia stopped her, saying that she knew me well and didn't believe her words, Ksenia immediately became enemy #1 for her, and she started making Ksenia's life miserable.

All this "kindergarten" supposedly ended when Ksenia was released on pardon first, then I was "taken out" (expelled), and then Halina was also released. Despite everything, I was very happy for her, because I sympathized with her humanly. She had a sentence of 20 years! That's unbelievable; in a women's colony, with such a term — 20-23 years — only women who had committed infanticide were incarcerated! Belarusian legislation is merciless to those who commit crimes against children. But, as we now know, not only to them.

Павялічыць

Halina Dzerbysh (right) in Vilnius on the day of her release from the colony, September 11, 2025. Photo: "Nasha Niva"

And then suddenly, after some time, Halina returned to her accusations against me and Ksenia, and began spreading false information among representatives of our democratic Belarusian diaspora in Poland and Lithuania. I received information that she stated she would do everything to have Ksenia and me deported to Belarus.

At that time, I still did not have residence documents for the country, only a national visa. I had to wait for them for a very long time; the migration service replied to my request that I was being "checked" by local security agencies. I perfectly understood that Halina's actions could also contribute to the delay of my legalization here. Nevertheless, I did not pay attention to it until it affected Ksenia. I am on my own, responsible only for myself. But Ksenia is running for the Coordination Council, and such "attacks" on her undermine trust in democratic forces, and completely unfairly so.

Павялічыць

Ksenia Lutskina. Photo: "Nasha Niva"

In a normal situation, a citizen of a normal country could complain about such actions, file a lawsuit. I, naturally, will not do this, even if I were protected by the rights of a citizen of Lithuania, and I do not have citizenship. And I will never do this against a person who has gone through such suffering.

It remains a mystery to me why she does this? Her "victims," though not on such a scale, have also included other political prisoners (specifically "her own," political ones! Why?) I cannot name them; they are still in the colony. For example, Maryna Zolatava, who was with us in the same unit and witnessed all this absurdity, believes that Halina is not mentally well. Halina seems to me to be a completely adequate person. And, in my opinion, she is well aware that she is spreading lies and trying to move others.

Overall, it's all very unpleasant."

• 7
• 1
• 5
• 25
• 2
• 17
• 4
• 2