MINSK, 28 March (BelTA) – Roman Samul, a public figure and blogger from Latvia, explained the reasons behind his decision to move from Latvia to Belarus and described how his new life has been unfolding in an interview with BelTA.
“I moved because of my political beliefs. In Latvia, I always stood for good-neighborly relations. I ran for Latvia's 14th Saeima. As a candidate, I talked to people and was good at finding common ground and persuading them. That made me dangerous to the Latvian regime. There is no freedom of speech there. Any personal opinion that goes against the political direction of the Baltic states is forbidden, even leading to criminal cases. They always called us 'vatniks' and other nasty names. If you're Russian, you're automatically considered an enemy. Many people who have lived there since Soviet times, built houses, pay taxes, but don’t have citizenship; they’re citizens of Russia or Belarus. For Latvian authorities, they're now a fifth column, and they're getting rid of them too. I already realized I had to leave. I was warned that they were watching me closely. So I decided to move to the Republic of Belarus,” Roman Samul said.
The blogger said he had always liked Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Many people in the Baltic states, he noted, envy Belarusians for having a leader like him. “Now he is my leader as well,” he emphasized.
Moving to another country always comes with challenges. Roman Samul had no family or property in Belarus. “I only had €200 in my pocket. But I was heading to a place that had already been set up. One of my followers, a Belarusian woman, helped me out. She paid the first deposit out of her own pocket for a room in a three-bedroom apartment where I stayed at first. She went out of her way to help, even with things like dishes. Just basic stuff you need to live. And this was the first time I'd ever come across someone helping a complete stranger like that," he shared.
“I received political asylum in Belarus, and I am grateful to the leadership of this wonderful country for that. At first, I went to work on a collective farm because I didn't have much money. Yes, the work is not easy; agriculture is a tough field. When you meet someone who works in this sector, you should always treat them with respect, because thanks to them we have food security and everything that comes with it,” Roman Samul emphasized.
It was in Belarus that he started a family. “In Latvia, there was a woman I had my eye on for a long time. She shares my views completely. Back in the day, we used to go to peaceful rallies together. We never asked anyone to overthrow anyone or anything like that. We simply stood up against the inhumane treatment of people by politicians. I always noticed her from afar, but I couldn't approach her because I knew full well that in Latvia I had nothing to offer her. Sooner or later, I would have to leave. What kind of picture would that be - to meet her, start courting her, and then just disappear? But when I was already in Belarus, a friend of mine happened to be coming here with her friend. And that friend turned out to be the very girl I had feelings for. Can you imagine? It was simply fate. Here we had a beautiful daughter, and we are very happy,” the blogger said.
He emphasized that he has been living in Belarus for three and a half years, but he feels at home here. “I'll go further: I feel useful to this country,” Roman Samul stressed.
“I moved because of my political beliefs. In Latvia, I always stood for good-neighborly relations. I ran for Latvia's 14th Saeima. As a candidate, I talked to people and was good at finding common ground and persuading them. That made me dangerous to the Latvian regime. There is no freedom of speech there. Any personal opinion that goes against the political direction of the Baltic states is forbidden, even leading to criminal cases. They always called us 'vatniks' and other nasty names. If you're Russian, you're automatically considered an enemy. Many people who have lived there since Soviet times, built houses, pay taxes, but don’t have citizenship; they’re citizens of Russia or Belarus. For Latvian authorities, they're now a fifth column, and they're getting rid of them too. I already realized I had to leave. I was warned that they were watching me closely. So I decided to move to the Republic of Belarus,” Roman Samul said.
Moving to another country always comes with challenges. Roman Samul had no family or property in Belarus. “I only had €200 in my pocket. But I was heading to a place that had already been set up. One of my followers, a Belarusian woman, helped me out. She paid the first deposit out of her own pocket for a room in a three-bedroom apartment where I stayed at first. She went out of her way to help, even with things like dishes. Just basic stuff you need to live. And this was the first time I'd ever come across someone helping a complete stranger like that," he shared.
“I received political asylum in Belarus, and I am grateful to the leadership of this wonderful country for that. At first, I went to work on a collective farm because I didn't have much money. Yes, the work is not easy; agriculture is a tough field. When you meet someone who works in this sector, you should always treat them with respect, because thanks to them we have food security and everything that comes with it,” Roman Samul emphasized.
He emphasized that he has been living in Belarus for three and a half years, but he feels at home here. “I'll go further: I feel useful to this country,” Roman Samul stressed.
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