{"id":6186,"date":"2021-03-23T09:20:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T09:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=6186"},"modified":"2021-08-04T12:02:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T12:02:30","slug":"mayo-mastaczkae-slova-abmyazhouvayucz-i-ya-chamusczi-peratvarayusya-u-zlachynczu-vypusk-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2021\/03\/23\/mayo-mastaczkae-slova-abmyazhouvayucz-i-ya-chamusczi-peratvarayusya-u-zlachynczu-vypusk-24.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMy artistic expression is limited, and for some reason I\u2019m made a criminal.\u201d Issue 24"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stand with Belarusian Arts and Culture community. Donate to\u00a0Save Our Songs campaign<\/a>.<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Arrests, Convictions, Prosecution<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ivan Viarbicki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ivan Viarbicki [Ivan Viarbitski]<\/b>, an animator from Hal\u0161any, received<\/a><\/span> 8 years and 1 month in prison for “trolling” messages on Telegram, seen as incitement to acts of terrorism.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 17, <\/span>Alaksan\u0142r Pamidora\u016d [Alexander Pomidorov] <\/b>was interrogated by the Department of Financial Investigations as a witness in the criminal case against BY_Help Fund.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jan R<\/b>o<\/b>man [Yan Roman]<\/b>, a journalist and poet, was detained in Hrodna on 17 March. He is accused of financing the protests (he paid fines for two people punished for participating in the protests). Jan’s house was searched, his laptop and phone were confiscated.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ale\u015b Dzianisa\u016d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The apartment of Ale\u015b Dzianisa\u016d [Ales Dzyanisau]<\/b>, journalist and musician, leader of the band DZIECIUKI, in Hrodna was searches on 17 March. He is also suspected of financing the protests. Police confiscated his daughter’s laptop and smartphone, as well as a home computer and three old mobile phones. On March 18, Ale\u015b was summoned for questioning by the Interior Ministry. <\/span><\/p>\n

Vadzim Dzmitranok<\/b>, architect, was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom in an open penitentiary (so-called “khimiya”). He was released from custody in the courtroom on condition of travel restrictions and proper behaviour while appealing the verdict.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Zmicier Afanasienka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zmicier Afanasienka<\/b>, vocalist of the band Amaroka, on March 17 had his home searched. Zmicier cooperated with Art Siadziba, he was also detained during the peaceful marches in autumn 2020 in Minsk.<\/span><\/p>\n

D\u017amitry Sa\u010dy\u016dka [Dzmitry Sachyuka]<\/b>, concert photographer and musician, was sentenced to 30 days in jail for participating in Maslenitsa (Slavic folk tradition of greeting spring).<\/span><\/p>\n

Zmicier Kazakievi\u010d [Zmitser Kazakievich]<\/b>, journalist, fined 1740 rubles [560 EUR] for two articles he wrote. In court, Zmicier quoted an excerpt from George Orwell’s anti-utopian novel 1984 and tried, unsuccessfully, handing a copy of the book translated into Belarusian to the judge.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Andrei Paluda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andrei Paluda<\/b>, a human rights activist, was summoned<\/a> to the Investigative Committee for questioning as part of a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus \u2013 training of persons to participate in group actions that grossly violate public order. <\/span>Andrei Paluda is one of the authors of the non-fiction book \u201cThe Death Penalty in Belarus<\/a>\u201d <\/span>(2015), together with Adarja Hur\u0161tyn [Adarya Gushtyn] and Palina Sciepanienka [Palina Stsepanenka].<\/span>
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Ihar Bancar<\/b> [Igor Bancer] was freed<\/a> on March 19 after Hrodna court issued him a \u201ckhimiya\u201d sentence. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Ihar Bancar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taciana Zahorac<\/b>, a mother of three, living in one of the most active in the resistance districts of Minsk, on March 19, was fined<\/a> 870 rubles [280 EUR]<\/span>\u00a0for \u201cLong live Belarus!\u201d which, according to a police witness, she shouted out of her window on March 7, although the woman was not even at home at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hrodna human rights activists, two of them are writers \u2013 <\/span>Viktar Sazona\u016d<\/b> [Viktar Sazonau] and <\/span>U\u0142adzimir Chilmanovi\u010d<\/b> [Uladzimir Khilmanovich], were summoned<\/a> to the Investigative Committee<\/span>\u00a0as part of a criminal case against Viasna Human Rights Center.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jazep Pa\u0142ubiatka<\/b> [Yazep Palubiatka], a Belarusian public and cultural activist, journalist and writer from Masty, was summoned for questioning by police on March 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pressure, Dismissal, Ban<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The organizers of a big <\/span>Moving Art Festival<\/b> had to cancel the festival and close the space because they couldn\u2019t access the premises rented from the Horizon plant. The problems started in February and look like further attacking independent Belarusian art.<\/span>\u00a0The Moving Art Festival had been prepared over a period of six months and was to include music, film, theater and dance sections, as well as tours, workshops and lectures.<\/span><\/p>\n

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“Polish school”, photo by tut.by<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On 10 March, the prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case on the “heroization of war criminals” on the grounds that one of the <\/span>Polish children’s organizations <\/b>allegedly praised anti-Soviet guerrillas. Inspections<\/a> of activities in Polish public organizations began in several cities at once. <\/span>Control is exercised by representatives of all possible public services: from the prosecutor’s office to sanitary-epidemiological inspection. The inspectors are trying to find out whether the children who attend the “Polish school” celebrate Polish national holidays and why they learn the language of their ancestors in general.\u00a0<\/span>Brest prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit to liquidate Polish school.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Andrej Piatro\u016dski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Andrej Piatro\u016dski [Andrei Petrovsky]<\/b>, a teacher from Smarho\u0144, was fired for telling students about the white-red-white flag in class (the official’s son recorded it on his phone, which got the teacher in trouble). On March 18, security officers came to his apartment, with the sanction of the prosecutor, an inspection was carried out, an old laptop, tablet, flash drive and his smartphone were confiscated. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The <\/span>play Kaddish<\/b> about the tragic fate of Jews during the Second World War, which was to be performed in Hrodna on March 20, was banned<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0the organizers were threatened with criminal liability. The reasons for the ban were that “Kaddish condemned fascism, the concentration camps and the tragic fate of the Jews,” and \u201cit\u2019s fascism that a part of the Belarusian society associates the current government with.<\/em>“<\/span><\/p>\n

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

D\u017amitry Lipije\u016d [Dmitry Lipiyeu]<\/b> on March 15, was detained by six masked unknown individuals in his own apartment. The reason was allegedly the white-red-white flag in the window, which wasn\u2019t actually there. During the detention and search, the officers tried to find out whether D\u017amitry was the administrator of any telegram channels. On March 17, he was sentenced to 30 days of administrative arrest after two days in Akrestsina detention centre.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ullana Harba\u010dova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This example once again illustrates the brutality and lawfulness of repression and the lack of safety for the citizens in Belarus. This is only one of several cases when citizens were detained for the flags which weren\u2019t in their windows as the policemen claimed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ullana Harba\u010dova [Ulliana Harbachova]<\/b>, a former Minsk Tractor Plant employee, who was fired for participating in the strike, was detained on March 18 when walking her dog together with her son. She was charged for participating in the pagan festival “Calling the Spring” (which was celebrated in the woods, Ullana wore a red dress and a white scarf, and held a red cloth in her hands). She was fined 50 basic units [466 EUR] and released in the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

The Modern Art Theater<\/b>, which hasn\u2019t been able to show any of their performances live due to the politically motivated pressure on them,<\/span> showed their play “Dragon<\/a>“<\/span>\u00a0online on March 18. All funds raised during the show will be donated to a new production of “The Former Son” based on the novel by the Belarusian writer Sasha Filipenko.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Words are more powerful”: <\/span>Ketevan Asratashvili<\/b>, singer, actress, teacher, to express solidarity and support repressed cultural figures, reads<\/a> a poem <\/span>by poet Ihnat Dvar\u010danin, executed in 1937.<\/span><\/p>\n