An art exhibition Breathing Lessons took place in Pisa (Italy) in October. In its first part (5-13 October), the works of anarchist artist Uladzislau Bokhan were exhibited among works of others. Curators of the exhibition also included the works of anarchist Siarhei Ramanau, drawn in imprisonment in Belarus (currently, Siarhei serves his 20 year ‘terrorism’ sentence for the destruction of police property). The exhibition took place in Roots Gallery and other cultural institutions of the city. At the exhibition opening and other events related to the exhibition, artists and curators discussed the situation of political prisoners in Belarus, including that of anarchists. One may see the works shown at the exhibition at the website of the gallery.
On 12 October, Ryta Zotava and Mikita Khilkevich were released from imprisonment upon serving their full terms. They had been sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment for pasting of stickers produced by Pramien anarchist collective. The third defendant in the case, Vadzim Dzenisenka, continues to serve his term which is 6 months longer.
In mid-October it became publicly known that Tamaz Pipija had been placed into a punitive isolation cell. The term of isolation and the formal reason are not known. The administrators of the penal institution had threatened Tamaz to transfer him to a prison regime upon the end of punitive isolation. During his imprisonment, Tamaz significantly lost weight. He had been detained in September 2020 and later sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment for a participation in demonstrations in August and September 2020.
Anarchist Siarhei Ramanau continues to draw in imprisonment. Recently he sent his drawing entitled Relax (see the picture). In Belarus, it is prisoner’s obligation to work. Consequently, absolute majority of prisoners works at various production lines within their places of incarceration. In the penal colony nr. 9, where Siarhei Ramanau is kept, there are wood and metal processing, as well as sewing production. As a rule, political prisoners are sent to do the least qualified and the hardest labour, for example, knocking of pallets together.
On the third anniversary of arrest of anarcho-partisans, telegram channel Pravo na vosstanie (The Right to Insurrect) published the last word of anarchist Siarhei Ramanau pronounced in the court on 13 December 2021. It took three years to smuggle this speech outside of the courtroom. ABC Belarus reprinted the speech (in Russian).
On 16 October, the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty published a report on Ihar Alinevich and Mikita Jemialjanau. Below is its short summary.
Ihar Alinevich is serving his second year under prison regime in prison nr. 8. Information on him is scarce. The source of Radio Liberty informed: “He is not kept in a single cell, but his situation is complicated. Every month he is placed into a punishment isolation cell. He is deprived of possibility to call relatives and to receive parcels, not even medical parcels. Only letters from relatives reach him, and even these not every time.”
Mikita Jemialjanau is kept locked for 4 years already, 3 of them under prison regime. Mikita’s mother told: “He is alone in the cell. He does not complain about the state of his health. Correspondence is possible only with family members. His mood is OK. Several times he was placed into punishment isolation cell. He uses the prison library, but the delivery of the books which he ordered via Belkniga [chain of bookstores controlled by the Belarusian state] is still blocked by prison administration.”
Full version of the reporting (in Belarusian)
In 2022, 3+KK theatre from Brno (Czech Republic) staged a play based on the book On the Way to Magadan written by Ihar Alinevich. On the occasion of showing of the play in Warsaw on 13 and 14 November this years, the media project Not Today, Not Tomorrow, Not Yesterday made an interview with a playwright Libor Brzobohatý and a director Adam Steinbauer, in which the creators of the theatre told why Ihar’s story resonated with them and how Belarusian events are perceived in Czechia. The interview (in English) is available here.
On 19 October, Lukashenka signed a decree on the closure of the penal colony nr. 5 in Ivacevičy and on creation of a ‘work-therapy preventorium’ in its place. The closure must take place in no more than three months. According to data of DissidentBy, there are five political prisoners in this penal institution, including Aliaksandr Frantskevich*.
* ABC-Belarus supports Frantskevich as a political prisoner while criticising his political practice at the same time.
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