Tina Zakharovna Palynskaya
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Tina Zakharovna Palynskaya
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A journalist and Catholic believer from Polotsk, Tina had long since retired from journalism, raising two daughters and working in archives, including Russian ones, fulfilling private commissions for biographical essays, family books, and stories about World War II veterans.
Earlier, in 2022, the journalist was tried on administrative charges and heavily fined for wearing yellow and blue ribbons on her bag, while the Investigative Committee investigated her Facebook post and searched her home.
She has been out of contact since the end of May 2025. Tina and her eldest daughter, Margarita, 22, are in custody on criminal charges. Tina also has a younger daughter, 14, who is underage.
Details of the charges have not been officially disclosed. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the case may be connected to the KGB's decision to designate Professor Andrei Vardomatsky's Belarusian Analytical Workshop as an extremist group. This organization conducted sociological surveys among Belarusian citizens. There is currently no confirmation that Tina or her daughter actually participated in the BAM research. But even if such participation had occurred, it would not have violated the law: at the time of possible contact with the workshop, it had not yet been designated an extremist group.
On October 13, 2025, it became known that Tina’s husband, writer Ales Polynsky , had died .
How to write a letter
✏️ A postcard with words of encouragement (a poem by your favorite author, song lyrics, or a beautiful quote). Trust us, even such simple gestures are very meaningful to a person in jail.
✏️ Your life events. To a person who is in isolation for a long time, any story about your routine endeavors will be a window into normal life. Your day-to-day worries and mundane matters are much more interesting than the daily grind of life behind bars.
✏️ It is important to share news. Mention the most notable and interesting occurrences depending on your pen-pal's interests.
✍️️ Remember that every letter is censored. This means that your letters are read by strangers whose main goal is to limit inmates' access to information or to use it against the prisoners or even you.
So try to avoid:
👉️️ harsh statements regarding ongoing political matters
👉 statements against the authorities and public servants
👉 foul language
👉 discussion of the circumstances of the criminal case
