{"id":4498,"date":"2020-12-01T13:03:57","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T13:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=4498"},"modified":"2021-08-04T12:09:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T12:09:07","slug":"vypusk-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2020\/12\/01\/vypusk-8.html","title":{"rendered":"More Solidarity than Arrests: What Belarusian Culture Experienced Over the Week (newsletter 8)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stand with Belarusian Arts and Culture community. Donate to\u00a0 <\/b>Donate (paypal.com)<\/b><\/a> and Save Our Songs campaign<\/a><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n

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Arrests<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Maryia Kalenik<\/b>, a student at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts who was detained on November 12 as accused under criminal case of organizing riots, has been recognized a political prisoner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vital Byl, <\/b>a historian, guide, and junior researcher at the Niasvi\u017e Museum-Reserve (Niasvi\u017e Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site), author of a number of publications and books about the Radzivi\u0142\u0142 family (they were a powerful magnate family maintaining the Castle), was detained on November 22 in Bara\u016dliany district in Minsk at the rally of the districts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Natallia Bordak<\/b>, an artist and poet from Niasvi\u017e, was summoned to the police department for a \u201cpreventive talk\u201d and had a report drawn up for having participated in an unauthorized mass event. She then was sentenced to 7 days in jail. Natalia is waiting for the results of the test on Covid, and if it turns out to be negative, she will be immediately taken to serve her sentence. Conditions in the Niasvi\u017e remand prison are harsh, the cells are in the basements, they are dump and don’t even have running water, and Natallia has a sore spine and joints.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alena Hironak<\/b>, an actress, was detained during the peaceful March of Neighbours in Minsk on November 29. On October 26, Alena was already detained and released that same night. <\/span>On December 1, Alena was fined 30 basic units (264 Euro).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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Pressure and Dismissal, Strikes<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Zmicier Sasno\u016dski<\/b>, the leader of the medieval folk band Stary Olsa<\/a>, who was detained in Kletsk on November 13 and after having spent three days in the remand prison without food and in terrible conditions, fined 30 basic units (267 Euro), had to leave Belarus as some unknown people have been looking for him and he had concerns about his safety. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Andrej Novika\u016d<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Andrej Novika\u016d<\/b>, director of the leading regional theater in Mahile\u016d and the International Youth Theater Forum “M. @ rt.kontakt”, which has been gathering famous theatres from all over the world in Mahile\u016d since 2006, was fired without explanation, but in fact for not putting pressure on his employees who took part in the protests and were detained. <\/span><\/p>\n

His colleagues collected 86 signatures under a collective appeal to keep Mr. Novika\u016d as the theatre\u2019s director, but a new director has already taken over his post.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

Ihar Kuliko\u016d<\/b>, a poet, translator, and lecturer at the Academy of Arts, was reprimanded for “participating in unauthorized mass events in November 2020”.<\/span><\/p>\n

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employees of the Institute of History<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Seven employees of the <\/span>Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences<\/b> were fired, they are Mika\u0142ai Vo\u0142ka\u016d, Aliaksej \u0160a\u0142anda, Ka\u0107iaryna Kryvi\u010danina, Ale\u015b \u017dlutka, Andrej Radaman, Ta\u0107iana Pa\u016d\u0142o\u016dskaya and U\u0142adzimir \u0160ypila; four of them were detained during the protests. <\/span><\/p>\n

Five more employees resigned in solidarity (U\u0142adimir Tuhaj, Andrej Macuk, Vadzim Aniperka\u016d, Andrej Unu\u010dak, Vasil Varonin).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Aleh Ro\u016dda<\/b> resigns from the position of director of the Brest Music College, which he has been occupying for two years. During the presidential election, he was the chairman of the election commission at the polling station where Sviat\u0142ana \u0106ichano\u016dskaja won the majority of voices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aliaksandr Pamidora\u016d<\/b>, <\/span>radio presenter and musician<\/a>, resigned from Belarusian Radio Rocks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a dissonance in hosting entertainment programs at a time when down on your street unknown people are trying to arrest your daughter. When on the streets of your city unknown people with no faces but armed, grab civilians, your neighbors, beat and torture, unjustifiably throw them in jail. When you\u2019ve been behind the bars yourself and when your colleagues and friends are there,\u201d – Aliaksandr said in a comment<\/a> to the Belarusian Culture Solidarity Foundation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ja\u016dhen Malika\u016d<\/b>, a historian from Homiel who was fired from the Belarusian State University of Transport on November 19 after having taken part in a rally and served 5 days in jail, was drafted into the army. Ja\u016dhen is 40 years old, and 27 is the age limit of the conscription age in Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cultural Resistance<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A big <\/span>concert “Music nearby”<\/b> took place on Friday, November 27 in Minsk in support of all those who have difficult times, as well as artists who, for obvious reasons, don\u2019t have the opportunity to perform.<\/span><\/p>\n

RSP, Krama, Zmi\u0107er Vaj\u0107u\u0161kevi\u010d, Alena \u017daludok and Chinchinchenel, \u015aviatlana Be\u0144, Aleh Chamienka (Palace) took part in the festival.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can support the musicians here<\/a> and <\/span>watch the recording below. <\/span><\/p>\n