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PEN Belarus stand with regard to the court decision On August 9, the<\/span> Republican Public Association Belarusian PEN Center was liquidated <\/b>by the decision of the Supreme Court, namely Judge Hanna Saka\u0142o\u016dskaja, representative of the Ministry of Justice Alaksiej Pie\u010dkuro\u016d and the representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office Iryna Kaval\u010duk.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the position of PEN Belarus Board<\/b>: We hear from the state media clear threats to \u201cput under the knife\u201d everyone who criticises the government, and the openly articulated position that \u201csometimes there are things more important than law\u201d.\u00a0 Without any trials and investigations, the authorities have accused 185 non-governmental organizations of being destructive and representing a threat to national security.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n All these facts openly demonstrate the existence of a political order to \u201ccleanse\u201d the civil sector, making prosecutors and judges the executors of this order. Our so-called \u201cfault\u201d lies in our defending freedom of speech and the ideals of humanism, in our disagreeing with the repression and violence. And if this is what we are found guilty of, we are not ashamed. We are proud of our work and the work of our friends, partners, and volunteers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Persecution, Convictions, Cultural Policy<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Michai\u0142 Klapiec<\/b>, musician and actor, was detained as he was out shopping on August 9, his house was searched and all the money found there was taken away. He was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest.<\/span><\/p>\n Dzmitry Kuksa<\/b>, an artist of the Charo\u0161ki ensemble, was detained in town, then his house was searched and he was arrested for 15 days.<\/span><\/p>\n Aleh D\u017aja\u010dko\u016d<\/b>, a tour guide and chairman of the Mahilo\u016d branch of the Belarusian Language Society, was sentenced to 15 days in jail for reposting from Belsat (listed by the authorities as an \u201cextremist\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n Andrej Piatro\u016dski<\/b>, the history teacher from Smarhon, who told about the national flag in his class in March, was first fired, and then a criminal case was opened against him \u2013 he\u2019s a suspect under part 1 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code (slander against the President of the Republic of Belarus).<\/span><\/p>\n Kaciaryna Vadanosava<\/b> \u2013 musician, poet, TV presenter \u2013 had to leave Belarus with her family.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>newspaper Novy \u010das <\/b>won\u2019t have a paper version: the private printing house Roll Print, where the newspaper was printed, informed the editorial office that it would not be able to provide services from August 12. After the rigged presidential election of 2020, a number of independent media outlets faced problems \u2013 they were denied printing services, and Belpost excluded them from the subscription catalogs.<\/span><\/p>\n Ta\u0107ciana Vada\u0142a\u017eskaja<\/b> \u2013 coordinator of the Flying University, member of the Coordination Council \u2013 has been released after a 10-day arrest in Akrestsina prison. She remains a suspect under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or participation in actions that grossly violate public order).<\/span><\/p>\n Life of the Imprisoned People<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n As of August 12, 2021, <\/span>631<\/b> people have been recognized as <\/span>political prisoners<\/b> in Belarus. At least <\/span>40<\/b> of them are <\/span>cultural workers<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n The wife of prisoner <\/span>Alaksandr Fiaduta<\/b> Maryna Shybko told the latest news from her husband. The well-known political technologist and philologist has been in prison for 4 months, on charges of\u00a0 “conspiracy” against the state system. Fiaduta’s detention was extended until October 12, but he is prepared to celebrate his birthday and New Year there. He can order books and reads a lot, encouraging his inmates to do so too, they arrange collective discussions based on the texts read. Fiaduta has lost weight, some diseases have worsened.<\/span><\/p>\n Dissent and Cultural Activism <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Hleb Labadzenka<\/b> \u2013 a journalist, poet, an expert in the Belarusian language, history and culture, who in mid-July, as the host of a talk show on Belsat, had his house searched, and later the Belarusian language course Mova Nanova, whose director he was, was shut down, \u2013 set up a museum near Minsk, and retrieves the authentic city.<\/span><\/p>\n Naviband<\/b> and <\/span>Volny Chor<\/b> performed the song<\/span><\/a> \u201cAre you, are you…\u201d in the Belarusian translation. You can <\/span>support<\/span><\/a> the musicians who from the very first days have been using their voices to support the people of Belarus.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n On the anniversary of the events that took place in Belarus in August 2020, a <\/span>video for Liavon Volsky’s song “Captivity<\/b>“<\/span><\/a> was presented, which features political prisoners, their families, as well as musicians, actors, artists \u2013 people who the words of this song resonate with in particular.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nto eliminate the organization<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/1_paziczyya-e1629095083182-340x240.jpg\")
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