{"id":7785,"date":"2021-07-20T08:48:05","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T08:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=7785"},"modified":"2021-08-04T11:45:57","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T11:45:57","slug":"vycziskacz-z-syabe-raba-pa-kropli-aglyad-belaruskaj-kultury-padchas-gramadska-palitychnaga-kryzisu-12-18-lipenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2021\/07\/20\/vycziskacz-z-syabe-raba-pa-kropli-aglyad-belaruskaj-kultury-padchas-gramadska-palitychnaga-kryzisu-12-18-lipenya.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTo Squeeze a Slave out of Oneself, Drop by Drop.\u201d Review of Belarusian Culture in Socio-political Crisis: July 12-18"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Download the pdf-version of issue\u00a041 of Cultural Resistance Monitoring<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Persecution, Convictions, Cultural Policy<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ivan Cito\u016d, photo by bolshoibelarus.by<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vadzim Hulevi\u010d<\/b> [Hulevich], a musician and programmer, is a suspect under Part 2 of Article 289 of the Criminal Code \u2013 an act of terrorism, a sentence of 8 to 20 years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ivan Cito\u016d<\/b> [Tsitou], choirmaster of the National Opera and Ballet Theater, was forced to leave the theater and Belarus. He used to walk around the city with national symbols, for which he was first fined and then deprived of the right to stay in Belarus because he is a Russian citizen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ministry of Justice is inspecting the activities of the <\/span>Union of Belarusian Writers<\/b><\/a>. The organization had to prepare a large array of documents for several years in a day. <\/span>The Belarusian Language Society<\/b> received such a request too. <\/span><\/p>\n

On July 14, over 20 <\/span>human rights and other non-governmental organizations<\/span><\/a> throughout Belarus became subjects to search and arrests \u2013 <\/span>the Belarusian School Society<\/b>, the <\/span>World Association of Belarusians Ba\u0107ka\u016d\u0161\u010dyna<\/b>, the <\/span>Belarusian Writers Union among them. Barys Piatrovi\u010d<\/b>, poet, writer, chairperson of the Union of Belarusian Writers, had his home searched and is now under travel restrictions.<\/span>
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The Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of\u00a0 Belarus came for <\/span>PEN Belarus<\/b>, to its statutory address. As PEN Belarus has been working remotely for the last year, none of its coworkers were there. The organization working in that office had their equipment confiscated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the activists detained on July 14<\/strong> there were:<\/span><\/p>\n

Siarhiej Sys<\/b> \u2013 poet, journalist, human rights activist, member of the Belarusian PEN Center (detained as a suspect in a criminal case, released on the same day)<\/span><\/p>\n

Ale\u015b Bialacki<\/b> [Ales Bialiatski] \u2013 human rights activist, author of prison literature, member of the Belarusian PEN Center (detained as a suspect in a criminal case)<\/span><\/p>\n

Alena \u0141apcionak<\/b> [Alena Laptsionak], editor and publisher of books in the series “Prison Literature” (detained as a suspect in a criminal case, released on July 17)<\/span><\/p>\n

Alena (Lera) Som<\/b> \u2013 poet, bard, public activist (released after interrogation by the Investigative Committee)<\/span><\/p>\n

Viktar Sazona\u016d<\/b> \u2013 writer, member of the Union of Belarusian Writers (a suspect in a criminal case; released under travel restrictions)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Svetlana Alexievich, photo by Alexander Janetzko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Svetlana Alexievich<\/b> missed her flight on July 14 in Berlin (she was going to Wroclaw for an event with the participation of another Nobel laureate, Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk), because Ms. Alexievich allegedly “had a bomb with her”, and the safety check procedure took a long time, after which she was left alone at the airport at night. <\/span><\/p>\n

On July 15 and 16, <\/span>searches and detentions of activists and journalist<\/span><\/a>s across Belarus continued:<\/span><\/p>\n

Aleh Hruzdzi\u0142ovi\u010d<\/b> [Hruzdzilovich], journalist, author of a documentary book about the explosion in the Minsk metro in 2011. Detained, all his equipment was arrested. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hleb \u0141abadzienka<\/b> [Labadzenka], poet, public activist, journalist. Home searched, detained; released on the same day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ihar Ilja\u0161<\/b> [Iliash], journalist, co-author (together with Kaciaryna Andrejeva) of the book “Belarusian Donbass” claimed as extremist by the regime. Home searched, detained on criminal charges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alena Anisim<\/b>, chairwoman of the Belarusian Language Society. Home searched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ja\u016dhien Mierkis<\/b>, local historian, popularizer of Belarusian culture. Home searched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pavie\u0142 Ma\u017eejka<\/b>, journalist, director of the Centre for Urban Life space in Hrodna, closed on the decision by the court. Home searched, Pavie\u0142 released after an interrogation. <\/span><\/p>\n

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On July 16, court sentences were imposed on defendants in the so-called <\/span>students cas<\/b>e<\/span><\/a>. One defendant received 2 years of imprisonment in a minimum-security penal colony, and the rest \u2013 11 \u2013 2.6 years of imprisonment in a minimum-security penal colony, among them <\/span>Maryia Kalenik<\/b><\/a> \u2013 a student of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, <\/span>Ksenia Syramalot <\/b><\/a>\u2013 a student of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Belarusian State University, spokeswoman for the Belarusian Students’ Association, volunteer of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, poet, <\/span>Yana Arabeika<\/b><\/a> \u2013 an activist of the Belarusian Students’ Association and a student of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, artist, <\/span>Kasia Budzko<\/b><\/a> \u2013 an activist of the Belarusian Students’ Association and a student of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cimur Haziza\u016d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cimur Haziza\u016d<\/b>, an event manager who was detained during the screening of the play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit in Minsk, and was to be released on July 16 after a total of 30 days of administrative arrest was instead transferred to the pre-trial detention center in Minsk, which means he is a suspect in a criminal case.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>criminal case filed against the publishing houses<\/b> Knihazbor and Janu\u0161kievi\u010d, as well as the studio Adliha and bookseller Ale\u015b Ja\u016ddacha was closed. The equipment was returned to the owners, the books were not, because the results of the examination aren’t ready yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Lavon Karpovi\u010d<\/b> [Liavon Karpovich], a local historian and collector from the village of Luna in the Hrodna region, has been persecuted: he is threatened with a criminal case if he hangs a white-red-white flag again.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Dissent and Cultural Activism<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Victory Artists<\/b>: musician and poet <\/span>Ale\u015b Dzianisa\u016d<\/b> played<\/span><\/a> online in support of the political prisoner <\/span>Ihar Bancer<\/b><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n