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Persecution, Convictions, Cultural Policy<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Julija \u010carnia\u016dskaja<\/b> [Yulia Charniauskaya] \u2013 scholar, novelist, playwright, candidate of cultural studies, former professor of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, specialist in cultural anthropology, author of books on cultural studies, member of the Belarusian PEN Center \u2013 was detained<\/a> on 18 May, during the crackdown on media resource <\/span>tut.by<\/b> and its co-workers, and no one knew where she was. On May 20, after a wide resonance, it was reported that Ms. <\/span>\u010carnia\u016dskaja<\/b> was at the interrogation by the Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee. <\/span>She\u2019s currently under house arrest<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Ksenia Tyrsikava<\/a>,<\/b> art manager \u00a0was detained on allegations of having participated in the women’s protest action on May 12 and sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest. <\/span><\/p>\n Ihar Bancar [Igor Bantser], <\/b>musician and social activist, 1,5 of open air prison, had his verdict unchanged by the court of appeal. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ihnat Sidor\u010dyk<\/b><\/a> [Ihnat Sidorchyk],<\/span>\u00a0a film director, actor and poet, sentenced to 3 years of open air prison, had his verdict unchanged by the court of appeal. <\/span><\/p>\n Uladzimir Hundar<\/b>, a local historian and well-known activist from Baranavi\u010dy, was sentenced to three years in a penal colony (tried under Article 366 of the Criminal Code \u2013\u00a0 violence or threat against an official or other person performing public duty). <\/span><\/p>\n Mija Mitkievi\u010d <\/b>[Mia Mitkevich], a cultural manager, was sentenced to three years in prison for several comments about police officers on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n On May 20, KGB officers searched<\/a> the home of <\/span>Anatol Kud\u0142asievi\u010d<\/b> [Anatol Kudlasevich], a writer and activist, for 5 hours, confiscated his computer and other data storage devices, and interrogated him as a witness in the [Mika\u0142aj A\u016dtuchovi\u010d] Mikalai Autukhovich case.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Prosecutor General of Belarus Andrej \u0160vied [Andrei Shved] announced it that the <\/span>Prosecutor’s Office<\/b> is looking for those responsible for the genocide of Belarusians among Lithuanians and Poles and is preparing documents to be sent to these states.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>official propaganda <\/b>continues its attacks on independent Belarusian culture. In one of their recent publications the author threatens the founding organizations of the N<\/strong><\/span>atallia Arsennieva Award<\/b> honouring the best poetry book in the Belarusian language (co-founded by the Belarusian PEN Center, the Union of Belarusian Writers and the World Association of Belarusians \u201cBa\u0107ka\u016d\u0161\u010dyna\u201d in partnership with the Orsa-Romano Cultural and Educational Foundation and the charity fund at the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain), these organizations are called “fascist”, also the jury member Hanna Seviaryniec and the patroness of the award \u2013 the poet Natallia Arsennieva (who died in 1997), also the author of the poem \u201cMahutny Bozha\u201d, which became a protest hymn of the Belarusians) are libelled.<\/span><\/p>\n Symbols<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Persecution and punishment for white-red-white colors and symbols continue.<\/span><\/p>\n Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption is taking the initiative to <\/span>include the white-red-white flag in the list of Nazi symbols<\/b> as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n Tragedy Behind Bars<\/b><\/p>\n Vitold A\u0161urak<\/b> [Ashurak], a political prisoner, public activist who did a lot to preserve the historical memory in his region, died on May 21 in the \u0160k\u0142o\u016d penal colony, where he was serving a 5-year sentence. The official reason is cardiac arrest, although Vitold\u2019s widow commented he\u2019d never had any heart issues before. Relatives hadn\u2019t received letters from Vitold since late April. Vitold was 50 years old. He was hoping to be released in 2021. In his letters from prison, he shared that political prisoners were made to wear yellow labels on their chests.<\/span><\/p>\n On the evening of May 22, people bringing candles to the Parish Church in Lida (where Vitold lived) to honor the memory of the deceased, were detained.<\/span><\/p>\n Dissent and Cultural Activism <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Artists in support of TUT.BY<\/span>:<\/b><\/p>\n Vi Valiukevich; <\/a><\/b>Elizaveta Goncharova;<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>Ania Redko; <\/a><\/b>Olga Yakubouskaya<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Several <\/span>well-known Belarusian women<\/b> took part in the photo shoot<\/a> in Belarusian folk costumes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On May 23, Free Kupa\u0142a\u016dcy<\/b> presented<\/a> the legendary play Pa\u016dlinka<\/b> with a happy ending.\u00a0The play was first staged by the theater in occupation on May 23, 1944. Today it is staged by the theater in exile\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/youtu.be\/caeMIEEMg-s<\/a><\/p>\n The <\/span>play Imzha<\/b> [Drizzle] was shown<\/a> online actors and actresses fired from the New Drama Theater in the fall 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 34mag.net magazine<\/b> created the <\/span>film<\/a> Art on the March<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>This is a story telling how Belarusians suddenly fell in love with their artists, and how lots of people discovered artists in themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n In support of the repressed cultural figures, Belarusian writer <\/span>Sasha Filipenko<\/b> donated\u00a0 to a <\/span>charity auction<\/b><\/a> three editions of his novels, which he will sign personally for the winner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Voices of Belarusian Culture<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Lilia Kvacabaja [Kvatsabaya], <\/b>an artist,<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe new generation will build Belarus anew, Belarus in which one wants to live and which one wants to be proud of. They are already doing it. A girl writing \u201cLong Live Belarus\u201d on asphalt. A young man who collected signatures for an alternative presidential candidate and is in jail for that. An artist who participated in the protest with a daring and creative poster. They are all of us\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Volha Kalackaja<\/b>, translator, who was sentenced to 2 years of house imprisonment for a slap on the face to the official propagandist Azaronak,<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt seems to me that it is very important for all of us now, instead of getting frustrated, to sit down and calmly, sensibly analyze the mistakes we made. Why did we have that fantastic massive potential for protest in August, specifically August 16-30, but wasted it\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Natallia Kaliada<\/b>, program director of Creative Politics Hub, art director of Belarus Free Theater,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe democratic changes we expected to happen last August didn\u2019t happen. And we have come to the point where there\u2019s only one option which can stop all repression in Belarus \u2013\u00a0 Lukashenka’s political death from a thousand small strategic, political cuts\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n International Solidarity<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n A play based on Sasha Filipenko’s novel The Former Son, banned in Belarus, was staged<\/a> in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A <\/span>web talk The State of Artistic Freedom<\/b><\/a> was arranged by Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V. in Germany. <\/span>Hanna Komar<\/b>, poet and translator, talked about the artistic freedom in Belarus in 2021. See the link<\/a> for the video recording of the talk. <\/span><\/p>\n Political Prisoners\u2019 Birthdays<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In May, three people who are somehow involved in the process of cultural development\u00a0in our country will celebrate their birthdays behind bars.\u00a0They are designer and architect Ra\u015bcis\u0142a\u016d Stefanovi\u010d<\/b> [Rastislau Stefanovich] (May 12), blogger Pavie\u0142 Spiryn<\/b> [Paviel Spiryn] (May 20), student and artist Kasia Bud\u017ako<\/b> [Kasia Budzko] (May 25).<\/p>\n Address for letters to Ra\u015bcis\u0142a\u016d Stefanovi\u010d <\/b>and Kasia Bud\u017ako<\/b>: \u0421\u0406\u0417\u0410-1. 220030, \u0433. \u041c\u0456\u043d\u0441\u043a, \u0432\u0443\u043b. \u0412\u0430\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0430\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0433\u0430, 2<\/p>\n Address for letters to Pavie\u0142 Spiryn: \u041f\u041a \u21162. 213800, \u0433. \u0411\u0430\u0431\u0440\u0443\u0439\u0441\u043a, \u0432\u0443\u043b. \u0421\u0456\u043a\u043e\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0433\u0430, 1<\/b><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/1_yuliya-charnyauskaya-340x240.png\")
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