{"id":10065,"date":"2022-02-16T09:10:23","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T09:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=10065"},"modified":"2024-06-12T13:40:41","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T13:40:41","slug":"prava-na-kulturu-belarus-2021-rus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2022\/02\/16\/prava-na-kulturu-belarus-2021-rus.html","title":{"rendered":"Right for Culture. Belarus 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Whether you are in prison or not <\/i>\u2013
\n<\/span><\/i>In this country it doesn\u2019t matter.
\n<\/i>You always feel that you are not free.<\/i><\/p>\n

(\u00a9 Ihar Bancar, musician, performer)<\/p>\n

In 2019, PEN Belarus began systematically collecting data on the violation of the human and cultural rights of cultural workers in the country. In January 2021, as the socio-political crisis intensified, we presented a public report of our monitoring results entitled \u201cBelarus 2020: without the right to culture\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 2021 the crisis in Belarus continued and culture remained the focus of our monitoring. The level of repression faced by cultural workers has not decreased since 2020. Among the current political prisoners in Belarus 68 are cultural workers. Our colleagues are either in prison after being sentenced or awaiting sentencing. Many cultural workers have been forced to flee the country for their own security. Civil society organizations have been affected by the crackdown: all human rights defending organizations as well as many nongovernmental cultural and educational organizations have been liquidated. Mass firing of staff from state cultural institutions in retaliation for dissent, censorship, and prohibitions characterize year 2021.<\/p>\n

This report contains statistics and analysis of the violations that took place in 2021. We prepared it using public information collected from open sources as well as direct communication with cultural workers and representatives of cultural institutions throughout the year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I.<\/b> <\/b>MAIN RESULTS<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

We recorded 1,455 violations of the cultural rights and human rights of cultural figures in 2021. We collected information on the repression of 628 cultural figures, more than 240 organizations and associations, as well as on questions of cultural heritage and discriminatory policy regarding the Belarusian language.<\/p>\n

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In 2021 the Belarusian authorities launched a fight against culture, civil society, and dissent with a scope that contrary to expectations turned out to be more severe than critical events we described in our monitoring \u201cBelarus 2020: without the right to culture\u201d.<\/p>\n

The dynamics of violations per quarter from 2020\u20132021 can be seen in the graph below:<\/p>\n

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The number of violations recorded in 2021 is 2.5 times higher than the number recorded in 2020: 1,455 vs 593 respectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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CULTURAL WORKERS WHO ARE POLITICAL PRISONERS<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

As of December 31.2021, there are 969 political\u00a0(the procedure for recognition as a political prisoner is set forth in a certain framework document)\u00a0<\/span><\/em>prisoners in Belarus. 68 of these are cultural figures:<\/p>\n