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***<\/strong><\/p>\nOther sentences: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nIn total, 18 people from the population of culture workers were convicted in the first three months of 2022. Along with those mentioned above, there are 9 others:<\/p>\n
\n- \n
\n- January 1, 2022: sound designer Kiryl Saleje\u016d<\/strong> was sentenced to 3 years of open-type prison time<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
- February 4, 2022: manager of cultural projects, author of fairytales written in captivity, and businessman Alaksandr Vasilevi\u010d <\/strong>was sentenced to 3 years in a penal colony<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
- February 4, 2022: stage designer Andrej \u0160\u010dyhiel <\/strong>was sentenced to 5 years in an open-type correctional facility;<\/strong><\/li>\n
- February 7, 2022: comedian and KVN participant Vasiliy Kravchuk <\/strong>was sentenced to 2 years of house arrest<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
- February 7, 2022: cellist Ilya Goncharik <\/strong>was sentenced to 4 years in an open-type correctional facility;<\/strong><\/li>\n
- March 2, 2022: history teacher Arthur Eshbaev <\/strong>was sentenced to 3 <\/strong>years in an open-type correctional facility;<\/strong><\/li>\n
- March 25, 2022: amateur actor Constantine Shulga<\/strong> was sentenced to 3 <\/strong>years in an open-type correctional facility;<\/strong><\/li>\n
- March 28, 2022: director Dmitriy Ponteleiko<\/strong> was sentenced to 1 year in a penal colony<\/strong>;<\/li>\n
- March 30, 2022: poet, blogger and producer Vlad Savin<\/strong> was sentenced to 8 years of hard labor in a penal colony<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Sixteen<\/strong> more cultural figures are in prison due to criminal convictions or are serving a sentence in open-type correctional facilities. They are: writer, translator, literary critic Alaksandr Fiaduta<\/strong> (in jail since 12.04.2021); author and Wikipedia editor Paviel Piernika\u016d <\/strong>(in jail since 03.11.2021); translator Volha Kalackaja<\/strong> (2 years of open-type house arrest); local historian and activist Uladzimir Hundar<\/strong> (3 years in a penal colony); poet and musician Hanna Va\u017enik<\/strong> (1 year of open-type house arrest); designer Ta\u0107ciana Minina<\/strong> (4 years of open-type house arrest); cameraman Via\u010dasla\u016d Lamanosa\u016d<\/strong> (2 years in a penal colony); culture manager Rehina Lavor<\/strong> (2 years of open-type house arrest); DJ Vital Kale\u015bnika\u016d <\/strong>(2 years, 3 months and 28 days in a penal colony); history reenactor Vadzim \u0160ylko <\/strong>(in pre-trial detention); musician Kry\u015bcina \u010carankova <\/strong>(in jail since 03\/22\/2022); photographer Valeryj Klimien\u010danka <\/strong>(in jail since 03\/24\/2022); digital artist Viktar Kulinka <\/strong>(has been in jail since 3\/30\/2022); graphic designers Uladzimir Jar\u0161o\u016d <\/strong>(2.5 years in prison) and Siarhiej Stocki <\/strong>(2 years in prison); Russian language and literature teacher Alena Pucykovi\u010d <\/strong>(2.5 years of open-type house arrest).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/slajd3-3.jpg\")
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CONDITIONS OF DETENTION IN PRISON<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nAfter almost 2 years of monitoring violations which had occurred in the context of a socio-political crisis, the conditions faced by cultural figures imprisoned for political reasons have not changed for the better. As before, the public is becoming increasingly aware of disturbing levels of neglect, maintenance standards, and administrative pressures on those imprisoned at closed-type institutions run by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Cultural figures are regularly registered as “prone to extremism and other destructive activities”, and their clothes are marked with a yellow tag; the prisoners are deliberately provoked and then placed in a punishment cell or reprimanded; prisoners are \u201coffered\u201d petitions for clemency and threatened with reduced contact with family if they refuse; prisoners are prohibited from communicating with each other; and authorities conduct additional checks and searches of the prisoners\u2019 cells. There are known cases of refusal to provide medical care to prisoners with chronic diseases, which, according to a number of sources, has led to critical health consequences (such as significant loss of vision). Limiting access to broadcasts, prohibiting access to literature, and restricting the right to correspondence are all used as moral and psychological pressure on prisoners. Relatives report that the administration does not allow correspondence to and from the prisoners themselves. This restriction of correspondence can last for weeks, and sometimes months.<\/p>\n
As for administrative detentions: in 2020, there was a lot of evidence that the clothes of political prisoners were marked with paint, and those marked individuals later received particularly cruel treatment from authorities. Now it has become known that the police department (the District Department of Internal Affairs) puts the letter “K” on materials related to these cases, meaning that forms of non-statutory treatment will be applied to the prisoner. Detainees at anti-war rallies on February 27-28, 2022 described harsh treatment from authorities, beatings, fourfold overcrowding of cells and even even the convoy’s venting of gas in the shower cubicle.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nPERSECUTION FOR ANTI-WAR POSITIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nOn February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation began military operations against Ukraine, part of which was carried out from the territory of the Republic of Belarus.<\/p>\n
The status of the Belarusian government as a forced co-aggressor against the people of Ukraine, the threat of involvement of Belarusian troops in an armed conflict, and a referendum on changing the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus: all of these factors co-occurring resulted in spontaneous, peaceful anti-war gatherings. According to the human rights center \u201cViasna,\u201d on February 27, 2022, the main day of the referendum, 908 people were detained across various Belarusian cities. Detentions took place at polling stations, at the Ukrainian Embassy, near the general staff building in Minsk, and at other places. Among those detained that day were various people working in the cultural sphere.<\/p>\n
At the end of February through early March, Belarusian cultural figures who said \u201cNo to War\u201d were tried for:<\/p>\n
\n- Participation in anti-war actions<\/strong>. From 27-28 of February, the following people were detained and later tried: translator Volha Kalatskaya (a fine of 2560 Rubles), cultural project manager and activist Viktar Bula\u016dski (15 days detention), culture manager and human rights activist Ta\u0107ciana Hacura-Javorskaja (fined), musicians Jele\u016dfieryj Hajko (14 days detention) and Mikalaj Bielanovi\u010d (13 days detentiono), artist D\u017amitryj Dara\u0161enka (15 days detention), actor Maksim \u0160y\u0161ko (15 days detention), philologist and Italian language specialist Natalla Dulina (15 days detention), artist and photographer Kaciaryna Malama (15 days detention), photographer \u017danna Antonava (15 days detention), students (now no longer enrolled) of the Faculty of Philology of BSU Ja\u016dhienija and Lubo\u016d Subat (15 days detention each) and other cultural figures.<\/li>\n
- On March 3, after a joint prayer for peace<\/strong> by the mothers of Belarusian soldiers, several people were detained at the exit of the Cathedral in Minsk. Among those detained was Ksienija Fiodarava, a culture manager.<\/li>\n
- On March 4, history teacher Larysa Siekier\u017eyckaja was detained at a Babrujsk school for wearing a blue and yellow ribbon<\/strong> in her hair during a lesson. She was fined 2030 Rubles for \u201cparticipation in an unauthorized mass event.\u201d<\/li>\n
- On March 4, poet and bard Hieorhij Stankievi\u010d was detained and fined 2240 Rubles. Officially, it was for a photograph with the white-red-white flag as its background (the photo was from five years ago). Really, it was for circulating materials about the war<\/strong> on his website and calling on locals and authorities to contribute at any cost to ending the war in Ukraine.<\/li>\n
- On March 8, several residents of Brest, including cultural critic and head of the \u201cBierahinia\u201d Union Viktar Misijuk, were detained near the monument to the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko<\/strong>. The police did not allow anyone to lay flowers at the monument on the eve of the famous poet’s birthday.<\/li>\n
- On March 11, Mark Biern\u0161tejn, an IT specialist and author who is among the top 50 editors of the Russian-language Wikipedia, was detained for “spreading fake anti\u2013Russian materials”. Mark was among those who made frequent edits to the article “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”. After Biern\u0161tejn spent 15 days on administrative arrest, a criminal case was opened against him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The protesters were tried en masse for anti-war actions and expressions: for posters, leaflets and inscriptions saying “No to war”; for anti-war letters sent to state authorities; for anti-war statements on social networks or voiced opinions in a conversation with a friend or a random passerby; for a Ukrainian flag hanging in a window, a yellow-blue scarf or even flowers in a person\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
Priest Alaksandr Baran from the village of Lyntupy, in the Viciebsk Oblast, was detained on March 24 for posting Ukrainian and white-red-white flags on his profile photo on social networks. He spent 10 days behind bars. The Greek Catholic priest Vasil Jahora\u016d, rector of a parish in Bialyni\u010dy, Mahilio\u016d Oblast, was detained on March 25 because of a sticker on his car with the inscription “Ukraine, I’m sorry”. He spent 3 days in an isolation ward and received a fine of 1,600 Rubles.<\/p>\n
It is also known that pressure was exerted on lawyers who had signed a petition stating that, according to the current Constitution, military actions against other countries must not be carried out from the territory of Belarus.<\/p>\n
DISMISSALS <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nDismissals from cultural institutions on the grounds of dissent are ongoing.<\/p>\n
A big blow to the protection of historical heritage came in January, when key employees of the Ministry of Culture in the Department of Historical and Cultural Values were dismissed. Their names are Natalli Chvir <\/strong>and Sviatlana Kraju\u0161kina<\/strong>.<\/p>\nIn the agricultural city of Okhovo, located in the Brest region, director Alaksandr Dziam\u010duk <\/strong>was dismissed from the local House of Culture after serving a 30-day sentence for trying to protect 300-year-old oaks at the local cemetery. On January 20, Uladzimir Savicki<\/strong>, who had been directing the Young Spectator Theater in Minsk since 2010, was dismissed. His dismissal may have been in response to a performance of ” Control essay”, which had failed the censorship test of the Ministry of Culture. Academic linguist Alexander Lukashanets<\/strong> was dismissed from the Yakub Kolas Institute of Linguistics on February 23; Lukashanets had condemned police violence after the 2020 elections, and his contract was not extended. At Polack State University, “all conditions were created” such that Alaksiej Lasto\u016dski<\/strong>, a sociologist and researcher of historical memory, would leave; he has not been working at the university since March 1. On March 15, actress Maryna Zdarankova <\/strong>was dismissed from the Republican Theater of Belarusian Drama, and actor Maksim \u0160y\u0161ko<\/strong>, who was previously detained at an anti-war rally in Minsk, was also dismissed. After spending 10 days in pre-trial detention, Andrej Sa\u016d\u010danka <\/strong>was dismissed from his director position of the BSU theater called “On the Balcony”; he was officially fired on March 15 “by agreement of all parties.” On March 23, it became known that Grodno State University chose not to extend the contract of teacher and doctoral candidate of Historical Sciences Albina Siemian\u010duk<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThere are also known dismissals from the Opera House, the State Philharmonic Society, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, the Belarusian State University, and other institutions.<\/p>\n\n
PRESSURE ON CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS\u00a0<\/strong>IN THE CULTURE SPHERE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Compulsory Liquidation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As of March 31, 2022, 382 Belarusian non-profit organizations are listed in the tracking of compulsory liquidation conducted by Lawtrend jointly with the OEEC. In 2021, trials for 316 organizations took place; most of the trials were in the second half of the year. As a result of this process, the civil sector of the country has lost many public organizations representing various types of development, including at least 98 organizations directly related to the sphere of culture. At the beginning of 2022, liquidation processes were beginning for another 65 non-profit organizations. At least ten of them are directly related to the development of culture and ensuring cultural diversity. For example, one of the oldest organizations in the Grodno region, \u201cThe Society of Polish Culture in Lidchina,\u201d was recently liquidated. The organization was registered at the end of 1994 and was in engaged in the preservation of cultural memory in the region by installing memorial plaques (including to participants of the 1863 uprising), preserving the memory of famous Polish people, caring for the graves of Polish soldiers, publishing local history books, and studying Polish language and history. There were also trials for the liquidation of the Grodno-based “Club of Polish Folk Traditions”, the Minsk-based “Belarusian Rock League”, an institution for the development of Belarusian music and art called “Ethnotradition”, and a Viciebsk-based eco-cultural and educational community called “A Path from the Varangians to the Greeks”, among others.<\/p>\n
On January 22, 2022, a new law came into force which describes the rules of responsibility for the organization of activities and participation of activities of a public association. Included in this law is the rules for liquidating such groups. Now, liquidation carries a fine, an arrest of up to three months, or two years\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n
There is an ongoing tendency to make decisions on the self-dissolution of non-profit organizations; this results from the ongoing unfavorable socio-political situation in the country and pressure from the authorities.\u00a0 Lawtrend had collected data on 271 organizations as of March 31. In the first three months of 2022, 46 of them had officially ceased operations, with almost half of the self\u2013liquidated NGOs (22) from the Brest region. Most of the organizations were focused on sports, but approximately 5-7 were culturally oriented. For example, the list of self-liquidated nonprofits includes a charitable foundation called “The Fortification of Brest”, which dealt with the topic of preserving the city’s heritage, as well as a Brest-based cultural and historical public association named after Tadeusz Kosciuszka.<\/p>\n
\n- Reduction of the Number of NGOs with Benefits for Renting Premises<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The practice of depriving non-profit organizations of economic potential and preference is ongoing. During 2021, the list of NGOs that were granted benefits for renting premises was reduced on two occasions. According to a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, composed on December 27, 2021 and entered into force on March 30, 2022, the list of public associations and foundations with access to a 0.1 price reduction coefficient on rentals decreased significantly. Out of 103 NGOs, only 23 remained on the list; in other words, for 80 organizations now excluded from the list, the cost of rent increased 10 times. Among them are 13 public associations that have a cultural component in their activities, including “The Belarusian Union of Architects”, “The Belarusian Union of Folk Artists”, “The Belarusian Union of Musical Figures”, “The Belarusian Union of Theatrical Figures”, an international public association called “Mutual Understanding”, and other cultural and sports associations, including Jewish community groups.<\/p>\n\n
DISCRIMINATION BASED ON BELARUSIAN LANGUAGE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nBelarusian is the state language. Despite this, the violation of the right to use Belarusian language is among the most consistent tracked throughout the entire period of monitoring.<\/p>\n
For example, at an event of national significance \u2013 the constitutional referendum \u2013 the commissioners did not offer ballots in the Belarusian language. In February, on the stands of libraries decorated for the Belarusian Language Day, there was sometimes not even a single book in Belarusian. All seven videos representing the tourism potential of Belarus, each highlighting a particular region or featuring the country as a whole, had only Russian and English versions; this is the case despite how the videos were created by the National Tourism Agency primarily for Belarusians, according to the head of the marketing department.<\/p>\n
In Belarus, people are persecuted for \u201cBelarusian-ness”. In a letter from political prisoner Aleh Kule\u0161 described how the administration of the colony informed him that in a correctional facility, everyone must speak exclusively in Russian. Meanwhile, artist Ale\u015b Cyrkuno\u016d, who came to a trial in support of artist and performer Ale\u015b Pu\u0161kin, was detained for use of white and red symbols and for “speaking in the Belarusian language” (direct wording from the protocol). He was sentenced to 15 days in prison.<\/p>\n\n
NEGATIVE TRENDS IN THE CULTURAL SPHERE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n- Self-censorship and Anonymity<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Due to the potential threat of persecution, many Belarusian writers, musicians, artists, and publishers self-censor their works and statements, or even suspend projects and activities indefinitely. They also sometimes refuse to be public figures and\/or write under pseudonyms. For security reasons, they do not sign their works, do not advertise performances nor participation in events, and avoid mentioning themselves in social networks and across cyberspace.<\/p>\n
For example, for security reasons, former political prisoner and musician Ihar Bancar and his band Mister X refused the opportunity to play a concert celebrating their new vinyl record. Bancar cited not wanting to \u201cplay with fire.\u201d Regarding self-censorship, Zmicier Vi\u0161nio\u016d, founder of the Haliyaf (\u0413\u0430\u043b\u0456\u044f\u0444\u044b) publishing house, has mentioned its impact on each book he publishes, regretfully adding that this is unacceptable in the realm of creativity.<\/p>\n
\n- The Recognition of Materials as Extremist<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The quantity of materials recognized as extremist is growing; the list is decided by a court and is enforced by the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus according to the list. Since the beginning of the events of August 2020, the list has grown to include independent media, their sites and social network profiles, Telegram chats and channels, logos, videoclips, internet communities, youtube videos, badges, and more.<\/p>\n
Also, on February 24, 2022, the court of Brest recognized \u201cBelarusian Radio Racyja\u201d, the country\u2019s first independent FM station, as extremist. \u00a0Along with economic, social, political, and sports-related programming, the radio station contains material related to culture. Around the same time, a court in the Maladzie\u010dna district recognized 15 articles published in its regional newspaper (\u00abRehijanalnaja hazieta\u00bb) in 2020 as extremist. One of the articles included a music video for Sumarok\u2019s recording of \u201cChertsi\u201d, which includes footage from protests in Maladzie\u010dna. The music video itself does not have an extremist status.<\/p>\n
\n- The Cancellation of Annual Events and the Transfer of Belarusian Cultural Products Abroad<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Because of the liquidation of the organization, The Belarusian Language Society was unable to hold its annual public action in support of Belarusian language for the first time in many years. The public action is a national dictation.<\/p>\n
In Pinsk, previously planned celebrations dedicated to the 90th<\/sup> anniversary of Polish writer and journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski were cancelled, including the installation of a sign on the building where the writer\u2019s parents worked and where he had attended first grade. Exhibitions and excursions were also canceled. By recommendation of the authorities, as the anniversary (March 4) approached, the organizers were forced to cancel absolutely everything.<\/p>\nSome events and activities changed locations in response to circumstances forced by authorities. For example, in February, the international poetry festival \u00ab Grand Duchy of Poetry\u00bb was held in Vilnius instead of Minsk. It is also known that the academic book festival \u201cPradmova\u201d, cancelled in 2021 because of the epidemiological and sociopolitical situation in the country, will take place this year in Tbilisi, Krakow, Warsaw, and Vilnius\u2014but not in Belarus.<\/p>\n
\n- The struggle of pro-government bloggers against Belarusian art<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As a result of far-fetched appeals of pro-government activists to the culture department of the Minsk City Executive Committee, in which the activists demanded that authorities take note of certain individual authors, several Belarusian artists have already faced pressure and extra censorship. For example, after a statement alleging the distribution of pornography in Hanny Silivon\u010dyk\u2019s exhibition titled “The Disturbing Suitcase”, proceedings began not only against the exhibition itself, but also the Union of Designers more generally, which is where the exhibition had taken place. Its chairman D\u017amitry Surski was called in for a conversation, the police came to the Union, and the Ministry of Justice checked the organization’s documents.<\/p>\n
In the Palace of Art, in connection with yet another one of these appeals by pro-government bloggers, Ryhor Ivano\u016d’s personal exhibition “The Hour of the Screen” was dismantled ahead of time. The pro-government activist had attacked the exhibition because of Ivanov\u2019s democratic political views. At the same time, Siarhiej Hrynievi\u010d’s exhibition “Demography” was closed earlier than the stated deadline \u201cfor technical reasons,\u201d which is also interesting because the exhibition had already been limited to works of the artist that had passed through a censoring process. Seven of his works had failed and were thus excluded.<\/p>\n\n
GOVERNMENTAL POLITICS IN THE CULTURAL SPHERE<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n\n- Budgeting<\/strong>. The cultural sphere has never been and will never be among the top priorities of the government. In January, the annual 2022 budget for the city of Minsk was published. According to the budget, cultural matters<\/strong> in general [culture and art, cinematography, and other issues in the field of culture] collectively account for 69% of the total city budget<\/strong>. They plan to devote 48,883,797 Rubles for the year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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