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Cultural Resistance in Belarus

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Cultural Resistance in Belarus I S S U E # 1 2 D E C E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 2 0 Cultural Resistance in Belarus B E L A R U S I A N C U L T U R E S O L I D A R I T Y F O U N D A T I O N B E L A R U S I A N P E N C E N T R E A r t C r e d i t ; K a t s i a r y n a P i k i r e n i a P E N B E L A R U S W I S H E S Y O U A M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S A N D A H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ! H A V E G O O D H E A L T H , S T R O N G N E R V E S A N D F A I T H I N T H E V I C T O R Y O F L O V E ! H A P P I N E S S , J O Y A N D L I G H T T O Y O U ! 1 . A R R E S T S A N D 4 . C U L T U R A L R E S I S T A N C E C O N V I C T I O N S 5 . V O I C E S O F 2 . P R E S S U R E , D I S M I S S A L , B A N B E L A U R U S I A N C U L T U R E 3 . R E P R E S S I O N S F O R T H E 6 . I N T E R N A T I O N A L S Y M B O L S S O L I D A R I T Y S T A N D W I T H B E L A R U S I A N A R T S A N D C U L T U R E C O M M U N I T Y D O N A T E T O T H E B E L A R U S I A N C U L T U R E S O L I D A R I T Y F O U N D A T I O N & S A V E O U R S O N G S C A M P A I G N S U P P O R T E D B Y P E N B E L A R U S 0 2 1. Arrests and Convictions After an appeal, on Kastuś Lisiecki, the editor Jahor Šumski, December 21, the higher- of the Rodnaje Słova photographer and instance court overturned literary magazine, bass designer, was detained the decision of the guitarist of the band near his home in Minsk on Kastryčnicki District Court Recha, was fined 20 basic December 20, was of Minsk of December 7, units [€175] for a flag in sentenced to 13 days of according to which the window, a teacher of administrative arrest. musician and poet Uładź the 68th school in Minsk Lankievič was sentenced to complained about it to the 15 days in jail. By that day, police. Uładź had served the whole term. Aleś Maŭčanaŭ, an Andrej Prystaŭka, a Uładzimir Jahoŭdzik, a actor, was detained resident of Brest, has children’s writer, was late of December 27 in been detained for the detained on December Minsk as he was seventh time. 27 while heading to the holding a white-red- On December 28, a river to feed birds. white flag in a one- court sentenced Andrej The writer spent the man picket. On to 15 days in jail and night in the Cantralny December 28 he was ordered the destruction District Department of sentenced to 11 days of of the flag with the Internal Affairs and the administrative arrest. Pahonia emblem following day was fined confiscated from the 30 basic units [€257]. detainee. 0 3 2. Pressure, Dismissal, ban Andrej Hałanaŭ Ilya Silchukoŭ Rehina Sarkisava At the end of October, five talented professionals were fired from the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre for daring to speak out against violence in the country before R E H I N A S A R K I S A V A , A one of their performances. They were conductor Andrej Hałanaŭ, soloist Ilya C O N C E R T M A S T E R A N D F I R S T , concertmaster of the Silchukoŭ V I O L I N O F T H E B O L S H O I orchestra Rehina Sarkisava, musicians of the orchestra Ała Džyhan and T H E A T E R O R C H E S T R A , F I R E D I N . Alaksandra Paciomina L A T E O C T O B E R , L E F T F O R Most of them left Belarus: Rehina Sarkisava and Andrej Hałanaŭ - to V I L N I U S . O N D E C E M B E R 3 , S H E Lithuania, Ała Džyhan - to Switzerland R E C E I V E D A C A L L F R O M T H E to her daughter, Ilya Silchuk- to the United States. Alaksandra Paciomina P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T W H O remained in Minsk. W A N T E D H E R T O S H O W U P O N T H E S U M M O N S . R E H I N A I M M E D I A T E L Y P A C K E D H E R B A G S A N D L E F T F O R V I L N I U S . 0 4 Art Credit: Žana Kapuśnikava I N 4 8 M I N U T E S D I S S A T I S F A C T I O N W A S A F T E R T H E P R O V O K E D B Y Ž A N A O P E N I N G , K A P U Ś N I K A V A ' S B L O C K , S O M E T H E M I C H A I Ł S A V I C K I O F H E R W O R K S R E F L E C T E D G A L L E R Y I N M I N S K C U R R E N T E V E N T S A N D C L O S E D T H E E X H I B I T I O N C O N T A I N E D D I F F E R E N T " E N O U G H " , A N I N T E R N A T I O N A L V E R S I O N S O F T H E W O R D P R O J E C T O F A R T I S T S . " E N O U G H " I N T H E B E L A R U S I A N L A N G U A G E . Uładzimir Puhač, a musician, member of the Coordination Council, was summoned for an interrogation by the Investigative Committee on 23 December, it lasted for 3.5 hours. 0 5 3. Repressions for the Symbols Art Credit: Belsat On December 26, several residents of and had no flags, but 4 buses of OMON Sierabranka district in Minsk organized arrived and detained the participants. a run in Santa Claus costumes, during Hanna Zahurskaja received 20 days which they gave candies to children. of arrest, Volha Sierahłazava was They didn’t chant any political slogans fined 20 basic units [€175]. Viktar Stukaŭ, a human rights activist and journalist from Polack, was fined 10 basic units [€90] for a flag on his balcony, after having been kept behind the bars for 72 hours. Zmicier Trućko from Biaroza was detained by his apartment and for 72 hours kept in a remand prison for the white-red-white flag on his balcony. The case was sent for revision. 0 6 4. Cultural resistance T H E B E L A R U S I A N C U L T U R E Its heroes are creative people who S O L I D A R I T Y F O U N D A T I O N A N D suffered during the 2020 protest: journalist Natalla Łubnieŭskaja, actress C R E A T I V E P R O J E C T F R E E D O M Alena Hiranok, duo VAL, musician and B E L A R U S P R E S E N T E D A artist Andruś Takindanh, musician and teacher , gymnast and C O L L A B O R A T I V E P H O T O P R O J E C T .
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