Iryna Slaunikava was among those who created Belsat. She worked as a newsroom editor, then became the channel's official representative in Belarus. In 2021, when many people were leaving Belarus, Iryna decided to return there from vacation. She ended up in prison for almost four years. On September 11, 2025, she was released and taken to Lithuania along with 50 other political prisoners. How is she living now that she is free? Does she plan to return to journalism? What does she think about the negotiations on the release of political prisoners? And what is it like to be a journalist for Belsat? With a conversation with Iryna Slaunikava, we begin a series of conversations with Belsat employees who have been through prison, timed to coincide with the channel's 18th anniversary.