{"id":13503,"date":"2023-11-16T09:27:39","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T09:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=13503"},"modified":"2024-01-24T20:13:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T20:13:25","slug":"hronika-parushennyau-pravou-chalaveka-u-sfery-kultury-1-14-listapada-2023-goda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2023\/11\/16\/hronika-parushennyau-pravou-chalaveka-u-sfery-kultury-1-14-listapada-2023-goda.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronicle of human rights violations in the sphere of culture (1-14 November 2023)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As of 14 November 2023, at least 146 cultural figures, including not less than 32 People of the Word, were behind bars.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Rehijanalnaja Hazieta<\/i> publisher and chief editor Aliaksandr Mancewi\u010d<\/b> was sentenced to four years in a minimum-security penal colony and a fine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Repressions intensified against the People of the Word’s families. The police raided the house of writer Sa\u0161a Filipienka (Sasha Filipenko)<\/b> ‘s parents; <\/b>his father was arrested for 13 days. <\/b>Political commentator Valer Karbalievi\u010d’s<\/b> brother and brother’s wife spent three days behind bars.<\/p>\n

Historian and civic activist Vasil Paliako<\/b>\u016d<\/b> was arrested for 15 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

Author, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and human rights defender Ale\u015b Bialiacki<\/b> was placed into solitary confinement in the penal colony, with no access to a lawyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Belarusian authorities labelled two books by Belarusian 19th-century literature classic Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d as “extremist.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I. Politically motivated criminal cases against cultural workers, authors and performers<\/b><\/p>\n

1.<\/b><\/span> On 3 November, the Maladzie\u010dna District Court sentenced the publisher and editor of Rehijanalnaja Hazieta<\/i> Aliaksandr Mancevi\u010d<\/b> to four years in a minimum-security penal colony and a fine of 400 base units, or BYN14,800 ($4,500), for “discrediting the Republic of Belarus.” On 15 March 2023, Aliaksandr Mancevi\u010d was detained after a search and placed in the pre-trial jail No. 8 in \u017dodzina. In his last words, Aliaksandr Mancevi\u010d said: Rehijanalnaja Hazieta<\/i> was the only regular Belarusian-language local privately-owned publication in Belarus, first published in 1995 and remained so until recently, faithfully fulfilling its mission. In 2020, the year of the presidential elections and the aftermath, we followed the main journalistic principle \u2013 to show life as it is without giving it our assessments.”<\/p>\n

2.<\/b> On 8 November, cultural manager and publisher Paval Ma\u017eejka<\/b> was transferred from prison into a penal colony. As of writing, the location remains unknown as his family is waiting for more information from him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II. Politically motivated administrative detentions and arrests of cultural workers, authors and performers<\/b><\/p>\n

1.<\/b> On 1 November, historian and public figure Vasil Paliako<\/b><\/span>\u016d<\/b> <\/span>was detained in Homiel. On 3 November, a local court found him guilty under Art. 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences (dissemination of extremist materials) and sentenced him to 15 days of administrative arrest. Vasil Paliako<\/span>\u016d, <\/span>a former history teacher, was fired for political reasons.<\/p>\n

2.<\/b> On 1 November, information appeared that singer and TV personality Larysa Hrybaliova<\/b> was detained in Minsk. In the evening of the same day, the singer wrote on social media that she was at home. She did not deny the fact of detention.<\/p>\n

3.<\/b> On 13 November, it became known that Mikita Si<\/b>\u016d<\/b><\/span>ko<\/b>\u016d<\/b><\/span>, a History Faculty graduate of the Belarusian State University, and Maryna Vasilionak<\/b>, an English teacher, were detained for allegedly distributing extremist materials in personal correspondence with several people.<\/p>\n

III.\u00a0Trials and arrests for using Belarusian and Ukrainian national symbols<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/b>On 3 November, “God’s Grace” Evangelical Church pastor Aliaksandr Cyryka<\/b>\u016d<\/b><\/span> and his wife, Nina Cyrykava<\/b>, were detained in Rasony, Viciebsk region. Police officers found Belarusian national symbols in the pastor’s social media accounts. Aliaksandr Cyryka\u016d<\/b><\/span> was tried and fined under Art. 24.23 of the Code of Administrative Offences (unauthorized picketing). Nina Cyrykava was fined under Art. 19.11 (Part 2) of the Code of Administrative Offences (distribution of extremist materials).<\/p>\n

2.<\/b> A man was detained in Minsk driving around the city with a white-red-white<\/b> ribbon and a ribbon in the colours of the Ukrainian flag<\/b>.<\/p>\n

3.<\/b> A resident of Navapolack was sentenced to 13 days of arrest for a hashtag with the words “Long live Belarus.”<\/b> The court ruled it was unauthorized picketing.<\/p>\n

IV. Conditions in places of detention, tortures of prisoners<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

1.<\/b> <\/span>Writer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Viasna Human Rights Centre chairman Ale\u015b Bialiacki<\/b> was placed in solitary confinement (a cell-type room) in colony No. 9 in Horki. He has had no access to his lawyer for a long time, Ale\u015b Bialiacki’s wife Natallia Pin\u010duk said, speaking at the World Forum for Democracy on 6-8 November in Strasbourg. The colony is also known as “ill-fed” or “hungry” because the food portions given to prisoners are insufficient for adults.<\/span> On 3 March 2023, Ale\u015b Bialiacki was sentenced to 10 years for human rights activism. He was moved to the penal colony in Horki in May 2023.<\/p>\n

2.<\/b> On 7 November, a package from Pen Belarus to the public figure and author of prison literature Zmicier Da\u0161kievi\u010d<\/b> in a pre-trial detention centre was returned. According to the law, people in pre-trial detention can receive parcels not only from relatives. “And all our earlier parcels had arrived at the jail. Only one didn’t make it to Zmicier Da\u0161kievi\u010d in \u017dodzina. It came back with a note on 23 August 2023 that it was “not from relatives,” Pen Belarus chairwoman Tacciana Niadbaj wrote on her Facebook page.<\/p>\n

V. Repressions against People of the Word’s family members<\/b><\/p>\n

1.<\/b> On 4 November, relatives of the political commentator Valer Karbalevi\u010d<\/b> \u2013 brother Aleh Karbalevi\u010d<\/b> and sister-in-law Ja<\/b>\u016dhi<\/b><\/span>enija Karbalevi\u010d<\/b> – were detained in Re\u010dyca, Homiel region. The elderly couple spent three days in captivity behind the bars of the local detention centre. They were accused under Art. 19.11 (Part 2) of the Code of Administrative Offences (distribution of extremist products). On 10 November, the Re\u010dyca City Court ruled to award a fine of 20 base rates, or BYN740 ($235), to Aleh Karbalevi\u010d and 15 base rates, or BYN555 ($175), to Ja\u016dhi<\/span>enija Karbalevi\u010d.<\/p>\n

2.<\/b> On 9 November, writer Sasha Filipenko<\/b> wrote on his Facebook page about the persecution of his parents who live in Belarus: “My house was searched. Seven people with automatic rifles. They took Dad and told my Mom: “Say thank you to your son.” It is obvious that they are putting pressure on me to stop speaking out in the European press.” On 10 November, Sasha Filipenko reported: “Dad has been found. They gave him 13 days of arrest for reposting an article from Zerkalo<\/i>. Strange times \u2013 how much joy, happiness and greetings in personal messages can a 13-day arrest for reposting can cause.”<\/p>\n

VI. Censorship<\/b><\/p>\n

On 3 November, it became known that the 4-6 November premiere of the interactive theatrical excursion based on Uladzimir Karatkievi\u010d’s “The Wild Hunt of King Stach”<\/b> was cancelled in the “Grand Duchy of Sula”<\/b> interactive history park. Park employees said the premiere was cancelled “for reasons beyond our control.”<\/p>\n

VII. Repressions in the book sector<\/b><\/p>\n

On 8 November, \u017dytkavi\u010dy District Court labelled as “extremist” two books by the classic of Belarusian literature, Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d<\/b>: Collected Works. In 2 volumes, T. 1. Drama works, poetic stories and short stories \/ Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d; compilation, preparation, translation and commentary by J. Janu\u0161kievi\u010d. – Minsk: Mast. Lit., 2007. \u2013 494 p.: [16] l. ill.; A collection of works. In 2 volumes, T. 2. Versed stories and short stories, poems, essays, letters and messages, translations, Dubia \/ Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d; text, preparation and translation by J. Janu\u0161kievi\u010d. – Minsk: Mast. Lit., 2008. \u2013 598 p.: [16] l. ill.<\/p>\n

In August 2023, literary critic Jazep Janu\u0161kievi\u010d’s<\/b> preface to the publication of Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d works and Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d’s texts “The Winds Are Blowing” and “The Old Man’s Conversation” were designated as “extremist.”<\/p>\n

Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievi\u010d is a 19th<\/sup><\/span>-century Belarusian literature classic, the founder of national drama, and a participant in the 1863 liberation uprising.<\/p>\n

VIII. <\/b><\/span>Repressions in the language field<\/b><\/p>\n

Signboards with Belarusian Latin characters<\/b> continue to be destroyed and rewritten in the Minsk metro. Inscriptions in Latin are changed to Russian. Belarusian captions are left only in Cyrillic characters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As of 14 November 2023, at least 146 cultural figures, including not less than 32 People of the Word, were behind bars. Rehijanalnaja Hazieta publisher and chief editor Aliaksandr Mancewi\u010d was sentenced to four years in a minimum-security penal colony and a fine.\u00a0 Repressions intensified against the People of the Word’s families. The police raided<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":13627,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4255,1],"tags":[4291,4285],"class_list":["post-13503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-right","category-news","tag-chronicle","tag-hronika"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13503"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13537,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13503\/revisions\/13537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}