{"id":17816,"date":"2024-12-05T12:23:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T12:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=17816"},"modified":"2024-12-17T11:11:46","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T11:11:46","slug":"hronika-parushennyau-pravou-chalaveka-u-sfery-kultury-15-30-listapada-2024-goda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2024\/12\/05\/hronika-parushennyau-pravou-chalaveka-u-sfery-kultury-15-30-listapada-2024-goda.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronicle of human rights violations in the sphere of culture (15-30 November 2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As of\u00a030 November 2024, at least 176 cultural figures, including not less than 39\u00a0People of Word, were not free – behind bars or in home confinement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The criminal trial of musician and architect Alaksiej Silenka<\/strong> began in a Minsk court.<\/p>\n

Former museum employee Alaksandr Nikicin<\/strong> was reportedly convicted in a politically motivated criminal trial in Homiel.<\/p>\n

On 11 December, the \u0160k\u0142o\u016d District Court will begin hearing the criminal case against political prisoner, journalist, blogger, and essayist Ihar Karniej<\/strong> under Part 1 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the requirements of the penal colony administration).<\/p>\n

Reports have been confirmed that artists Ludmi\u0142a \u0160\u010damialova<\/strong> and Ihar Ryma\u0161e\u016dski<\/strong>, arrested in a politically motivated case, are in pre-trial detention.<\/p>\n

Translator Illa Lipski <\/strong>and theatre director Aleh \u017duh\u017eda <\/strong>were punished in administrative proceedings for subscribing to independent news outlets.<\/p>\n

Journalist and essayist Andrej Pa\u010dobut (Andrzej Poczobut)<\/strong> has been held in a cell-type room.<\/p>\n

The InZhest<\/strong> plastic theatre was deprived of a venue for rehearsals.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Information has compiled the “List of printed publications containing information messages and (or) materials, the distribution of which is capable of harming the national interests of the Republic of Belarus.”<\/p>\n

\n
I. Criminal prosecution of cultural figures, authors, and performers<\/strong><\/h5>\n

1.<\/strong> On 18 November, Viciebsk’s Kastry\u010dnicki District Court began the criminal trial of photographer U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Ko\u0161ale\u016d<\/strong> under Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code (insult to the president).<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> On 22 November, information appeared about the politically motivated criminal conviction of a former Vietka Museum of Old Believers and Belarusian Traditions employee, Alaksandr Nikicin<\/strong>. Homiel’s \u010cyhuna\u010dny District Court convicted him in September 2024 under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organising, preparing or actively participating in actions that grossly violate public order). The term of imprisonment is not yet known.<\/p>\n

3<\/strong>. On 26 November, the Minsk City Court began a criminal trial of musician and architect Alaksiej Silenka<\/strong>, who participated in such projects as OX.PA, BULVAR, Mnsr. Gustav and others. He is charged under Part 3 of Article 361 (calls for sanctions) and Part 1 of Article 130 (incitement of enmity and discord) of the Criminal Code.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> On 28 November, it became known that on 11 December, the \u0160k\u0142o\u016d District Court will begin hearing the criminal case against a political prisoner, journalist, blogger, and essayist, Ihar Karniej<\/strong>, who was sentenced to three years in prison in March 2024. The new charges are based on the provisions in Part 1 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the requirements of the penal colony administration).<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> On 29 November, it became known that the politically motivated criminal trial of singer and showman Ivan Vabi\u0161\u010devi\u010d,<\/strong> aka Dziadzia Vania, will begin on 10 December in Minsk’s Partyzanski District Court under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (participating in actions that grossly violate public order). Ivan Vabi\u0161\u010devi\u010d is the founder of the One Hell Thing music band.<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong> On 29 November, earlier reports were confirmed that artists Ludmi\u0142a \u0160\u010damialova<\/strong> and Ihar Ryma\u0161e\u016dski<\/strong>, arrested in a politically motivated case, are in pre-trial detention. They face charges under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (actions that grossly violate public order).<\/p>\n

II. Detentions and administrative trials<\/strong><\/h5>\n

1.<\/strong> On 25 November, translator Illa Lipski <\/strong>appeared in the \u0160arka\u016d\u0161\u010dyna District Court for subscribing to independent news outlets under Part 2 of Article 19.11 (distribution of extremist materials) and Part 1 of Article 24.23 (violation of the picketing procedure) of the Code of Administrative Offences.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> On 26 November, the chief director of the Hrodna Regional Puppet Theatre, Aleh \u017duh\u017eda<\/strong>, appeared in Hrodna’s Leninski District Court for subscribing to independent news outlets under Article 19.11, Part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences (distribution of extremist materials). The outcome of the trial is not yet known.<\/p>\n

III. Conditions in the places of incarceration <\/strong><\/h5>\n

1.<\/strong> Journalist and essayist Andrej Pa\u010dobut (Andrzej Poczobut)<\/strong> has been held in a cell-type room in the penal colony in Navapo\u0142ack.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> The whereabouts of political prisoner and author of prison literature Alaksandr Franckievi\u010d<\/strong> have been unknown for two months. In June 2024, the Va\u016dkavysk District Court added another year of imprisonment to the political prisoner’s 16 years and nine months in a maximum-security penal colony under Part 2 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the penal colony administration). Pending consideration of the appeal, he was held in the Baranavi\u010dy pre-trial detention centre No. 6, from where he was transferred to a penal colony in early October. The location of the colony remains unknown. The political prisoner’s mother, Tacciana Franckievi\u010d<\/strong>, is behind bars.<\/p>\n

\u0406V. Closure of cultural centres<\/strong><\/h5>\n

On 20 November, it became known that the InZhest<\/strong> plastic theatre, which has not had the opportunity to perform in Belarus since the fall of 2021, has been deprived of a place for rehearsals. InZhest (Zhest at inception) was created in Minsk in 1980 by a group of Institute of Culture students Zhest. It is the oldest and only Belarusian theatre that works in the modern pantomime and butoh dance genres. InZhest was the initiator and organiser of the plastic theatre festivals: “Clown” (1987\u20131989), “X-Tradition” (2001\u20132002) and “Plastforma” (2013\u20132021).<\/p>\n

V. Repressions in the book-publishing and retail sector<\/strong><\/h5>\n

1.<\/strong> On 16 November, it became known that books with LGBTQ+<\/strong> characters began to disappear from online bookstores. The books Little Life<\/strong> and People Among the Trees<\/strong> by Hanya Yanagihara became unavailable. The Song of Achilles<\/strong> by Madeleine Miller and Giovanni’s Room<\/strong> by James Baldwin also disappeared. There is no legislative ban on those books in Belarus.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> On 22 November, the Ministry of Information posted the “List of printed publications containing information messages and (or) materials, the distribution of which is capable of harming the national interests of the Republic of Belarus.” The list contains 35 titles, including Essays on the History of Belarus (1795\u20132002)<\/strong> (Minsk, 2003); Dzieru\u017eynski, V. Secrets of Belarusian History<\/strong> (Minsk, 2011); Cvirka, K. On the Tablets of Centuries: Historical Works <\/strong>(Minsk, 2018).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As of\u00a030 November 2024, at least 176 cultural figures, including not less than 39\u00a0People of Word, were not free – behind bars or in home confinement. The criminal trial of musician and architect Alaksiej Silenka began in a Minsk court. Former museum employee Alaksandr Nikicin was reportedly convicted in a politically motivated criminal trial in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":17820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4255],"tags":[4291,4285],"class_list":["post-17816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-right","tag-chronicle","tag-hronika"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17816","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\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17816"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17822,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17816\/revisions\/17822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}