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Persecution, Convictions, Cultural Policy<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Miko\u0142a Dziadok [Mikola Dziadok], an activist and blogger, had his file sent<\/a> to the prosecutor’s office,<\/span>\u00a0he is charged under three articles of the Criminal Code: illegal actions with explosive substances; organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order; calls for action aimed at harming the national security of Belarus via the Internet.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Another <\/span>14 people were convicted<\/b> in Brest<\/span> in the “Karahod case”<\/b>. For “active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order” they were sentenced to terms from 1.5 years of\u00a0 house arrest to 1 year of colony.<\/span><\/p>\n In Babrujsk<\/b> on May 9 schoolchildren are forced to build a<\/span> living corridor<\/b>, they are required to have red and green balloons with them.<\/span><\/p>\n In Homel,<\/b> schoolchildren and parents are obliged to attend the Victory Day celebrations and carry red and green flags or balloons.<\/span><\/p>\n Before May 9, <\/span>burning of the village<\/b> of \u0160unio\u016dka by the Nazis during the Second World War was <\/span>staged<\/b>, initiated by the official authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n It should be noted that this year, before the celebration of Victory Day, the authorities plan a number of controversial events for which a large budget is spent, such as launching 4,000 red and green balloons. At the same time, all single-time payments to veterans had been canceled until the decision was changed under pressure from public.<\/span><\/p>\n The Do\u016dnar [Dounar] family, designers of the Honar clothing brand<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(which often uses Belarusian ornaments and other symbols traditional for Belarusian culture in their designs), had an inspection that wants to check the brand’s clothing for compliance with state standards. It\u2019s not yet clear what it means. <\/span><\/p>\n Julia \u0160abanava<\/b> [Yulia Shabanava], a musician, on May 6 was fined 50 basic units [EUR 471] for singing the song \u201cMury\u201d (it became one of the most widely sung protest songs in Belarus) together with musicians <\/span>Lizavieta Pakietava<\/b> and <\/span>Alaksiej \u017dura\u016dlevi\u010d<\/b> [Aliaksei Zhuraulevich] on April 22 in the underground crossing on Lenina Street in Minsk. The court considered it a picket. Lizaveta received 11 days of administrative arrest, Alaksej \u2013 25.<\/span><\/p>\n Persecution of the Union of Poles members<\/b> in Belarus and members of the Polish national minority continues. Five people remain behind bars: the chairman of the Union of Poles <\/span>An\u017ealika Borys <\/b>[Anzhalika Borys], journalist and Polish activist <\/span>Andrzej Poczobut<\/b> from Hrodna, <\/span>Irena Biernackaja<\/b> [Bernatskaya] from Lida, Maryja Ci\u0161ko\u016dskaja [Maria Tishkouskaya] from Va\u016dkavysk and <\/span>Hanna Pani\u0161ava<\/b> [Panishava] from Brest. The Investigative Committee of Belarus has been summoning activists of the Hrodna and Brest regional branches of the Union of Poles for interrogation. <\/span>Andrej Fra\u0142o\u016d<\/b> [Andrei Fralou], a cameraman working for TV Polonia on Nad Niemnem program, was detained on May 4 and punished by 15 days of administrative arrest as well as a fine of\u00a0 30 basic units [EUR 230].<\/span><\/p>\n Miko\u0142a Papieka<\/b> [Mikola Papeka], a poet, suspect in the “Karahod case”, was denied the right to examine the case materials in Belarusian, which is a violation of the law.<\/span><\/p>\n Symbols<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Natalla \u0160epiel<\/b> [Shepel] and <\/span>Alaksandr Furs<\/b> became defendants in a criminal case for putting stickers and painting walls of public buildings in white and red.<\/span><\/p>\n People continue being punished with fines and administrative arrests for any items of white-red-white colors.<\/span><\/p>\n At first, a <\/span>red and green flag <\/b>was painted on the white and red smokestack of the Brest cogeneration plant, and now the flag became illuminated.<\/span><\/p>\n In Or\u0161a<\/b>, students of several schools were given the task to decorate windows of their homes with the colors of official symbols or take pictures against the background of a red and green wall in clothes of the same colors and bring a photo to school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Natalla Slapcova<\/b> [Natallia Sliaptsova] was charged with six episodes of picketing and sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. She drew red hearts in the elevator and highlighted “Long live Belarus” using red marker. <\/span><\/p>\n The court of Vicebsk sentenced Maryja Amasovi\u010d<\/b> [Maria Amasovich] to 20 days of administrative arrest, Lizavieta Kiryjenka<\/b> [Lizaveta Kiryienka] to 15 days, and Maryja Ahijevi\u010d<\/b> [Maria Ahievich] to 10 days for a photo with a poster and a white-red-white flag, which they took on April 27 in Vicebsk. <\/span><\/p>\n U\u0142adzimir Pa\u0142ujan <\/b>[Uladzimir Paluyan] was detained in Minsk on May 6 by representatives of the Department for Combating Economic Crimes for eight white-orange-white snowflakes in his window, and on May 7 he was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest.<\/span><\/p>\n A war-themed concert was held at the <\/span>Babrujsk Theater<\/b> on May 8. Elena Lanskaja, a singer who openly supports the Lukashenka\u2019s regime, played a leading role in it. People who wanted to leave the concert earlier weren\u2019t allowed to, they were literally locked in.<\/span><\/p>\n Hanna Apanovi\u010d [Apanovich] was detained in Minsk on May 8 when she came to lay a rose with white-red-white ribbons at the memorial to Raman Bandarenka on Peremen Square.<\/span><\/p>\n Life of People Behind Bars<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHere I understood and realized how little I appreciated life and simple things, such as fresh air, clean water (here it\u2019s disgusting! It makes my eyebrows itch, and it\u2019s simply impossible to drink!), being able to go anywhere anytime\u2026 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Ale\u015b Pu\u0161kin<\/b> [Ales Pushkin] through his lawyer asked not to send him care packages to the pre-trial prison, as the trial will take place not earlier than in five months, and the money is needed to support his family, especially children.<\/span><\/p>\n Aleh Karaban, who was inmates with <\/span>Maksim Znak<\/b>, told that Maksim helps many prisoners in writing various petitions for their cases, explains important legal nuances, etc. and he keeps his spirits up.<\/span><\/p>\n Dissent and Cultural Activism <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Miko\u0142a Papieka<\/b> [Mikola Papeka], a poet on trial in Brest, insists that the criminal case be conducted in Belarusian and that his professional activity be marked as a poet, not as unemployed. <\/span><\/p>\n Natalla Zadziarko\u016dskaja<\/b> [Natalia Zadziarkouskaya], a former employee of the Ministry of Culture who participated in drafting of the Code of Culture and other legal acts in the cultural sphere, replaced Marharyta La\u016d\u010duk [Marharyta Liauchuk], an opera singer, as a person in charge of culture at the National Anti-Crisis Management of Belarus. <\/span><\/p>\n NikaEmerald<\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n G e r a M o r e<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Alesha Stupin<\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Dee Tree<\/b> band presented<\/a> their new album The Whole Autumn, dedicated to Belarusians who “dared, those who overcame indifference and fear, those who got to know each other last summer and autumn.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In support of the Belarusian cultural community and the project \u201cFairy Tales with Malyavanych\u201d, an artist <\/span>Volha Jakubo\u016dskaja<\/b> [Olga Yakubovskaya] donated her painting with the symbol of 2021 year and well-known kittens for the <\/span>charity auction<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A mural with DJs of Change was restored on the legendary <\/span>Peramien Square<\/b> in Minsk on May 7! It had been painted over many times, and initially it was designed by Raman Bandarenka\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Victory Artists:<\/span> Piotr Klujeu<\/b>\u2019s LIVE is in support of Belarusian-language theatre project for kids, which is going to perform in Belarusian small towns.\u00a0<\/span>Watch and donate here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Voices of Belarusian Culture<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Natalla Zadziarko\u016dskaja<\/b> [Natallia Zadziarkouskaya]: <\/span><\/p>\n “Many people quit their jobs at the Ministry of Culture because they could not work with him [Minister Markevich] for various reasons. For him, human resources, experience, professionalism, in my opinion, mean little. For him, the main thing is the purity of the ranks, ideological in the first place”.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pavie\u0142 Haradnicki<\/b> [Pavel Haradnitsky], leader of the band Ra\u017abitaje Serca Pacana and actor of Belarus Free Theater, who left for Kyiv after serving 15 days of administrative arrest and having no opportunities to perform in Belarus:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs long as you are in Minsk, tinned in your creative space, you are known only in Belarus. And moving to another place for some time is good to get to know others, show them your music. This is a great opportunity for our music, theater and film markets. They used to be on their own, but now they have outlets in Vilnius, Warsaw, Kiev, Moscow, St. Petersburg and so on. Artists establish cultural ties, leave our underground party for wider areas. And then, when we win, we can simply return to Belarus, and these ties will remain\u201d.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Svetlana Alexievich<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen writing the book Second-Hand Time, I saw how many people still linked their hopes with socialism, who didn\u2019t accept capitalism. Even 10 years ago, when I wrote that final book of my series, it seemed to me that my encyclopedia of the Red (Wo)man was complete, that different times were coming and the Red (Wo)man would change. It doesn’t seem that way to me now. After what I saw and experienced in Belarus, I can’t say that we said goodbye to communism, that Red (Wo)man has changed. The communist idea is still alive. I continue adding to my encyclopedia\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n International Solidarity<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Andrzej Duda<\/b>, the President of Poland Wrote a Letter<\/a> to the Poles Imprisoned in Belarus.<\/span>\u00a0He stressed that the position of the persecuted activists is “evidence of the unity of the Poles and Belarusians that creates a sovereign Belarus,” and the Poles living in Belarus “are an integral part of the Belarusian society, and they are full citizens of Belarus.”<\/span><\/p>\n Vice News <\/b>made a video<\/a> interview story with Natalia Kaliada and Nikolai Khalezin who run the Belarus Free Theatre in Minsk, Belarus, which puts on dissident productions critical of the regime of Alexander Lukashenko \u2013 referred to by many as the last dictator in Europe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Polish directors Tomasz Khatinski and Milos Haslowski made the <\/span>film Uchodi<\/a><\/b> (Leave!)<\/span>\u00a0about Belarusians who had to flee persecution to Poland after the election. The film also tells about the Belarusian diaspora in Szczecin, which has actively supported compatriots and organized joint political rallies in Poland.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_mikalaj-dzyadok-340x240.jpg\")
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<\/span>This year on May 9<\/b> at the state level not only Victory Day will be celebrated but also the Day of the state flag and coat of arms. In Bres<\/b>t, the authorities plan a mass event on this day, forcing schoolchildren and teachers to come to visit it, using pressure and threats. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/a96suf-jxww-340x240.jpg\")
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Friends of Anastasija Mironcava<\/b> [Anastasia Mirontsava], a political prisoner sentenced to two years in prison, created her page<\/a> on Instagram. In one of the “posts” she writes:
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The show Iranian Conference was premiered<\/a> by Kupa\u0142a\u016dcy on May 6.<\/span>
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<\/b>PEN International <\/b>expresses<\/a> concerns over the detention of Aliaksandr Fiaduta<\/b>, Belarusian PEN Centre member.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/6_free-theatre.jpg\")
<\/span>Writers, scientists and journalists around the world demand<\/a> the release of Alaksandr Fiaduta<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n
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