Free Theater, Belarus Appeals To Creative Unions, Theater Groups, And Theater Activists For International Solidarity With Belarusian Democrats

Appeal to creative unions, theatre groups, and theatre activists by the staff of the Free Theatre, Belarus

"In the course of the last few weeks, events have been taking place in Belarus that cannot leave indifferent not only people of this country, but also any citizen, wherever he or she might be, who puts the ideals of freedom first.

Belarusian people have been taking out to the streets of Minsk all these days demanding that fair, transparent, and honest elections be held. In response to these legitimate demands, the authorities employed batons, tear gas, smoke shells, and stun grenades. For the last two weeks, about a thousand people have been arrested and sentenced to various terms in jail, whereas dozens have been wounded and hundreds beaten.

Many theatre activists have been side by side with their fellow citizens. All that time, relieving each other, they were present at the makeshift camp on Oktyabrskaya Square in Minsk, participating in mass protests and trying to support their compatriots.

Theatre activists, just like hundreds of repressed Belarusians, could not avoid being victims of repressions of the authorities.

Valeriy Mazynskiy, director, founder of Free Stage Belarusian Drama Theatre, sentenced to ten days in jail;

Pavel Kharlanchuk, director and actor of National Gorky Drama Theatre, sentenced to ten days in jail;

Svetlana Sugako, musician, assistant director of Free Theatre, sentenced to seven days in jail;

Irina Yaroshevich, assistant director of Free Theatre, beaten by the police.

We appeal to theatre activists and representatives all over the world: express your solidarity!

Your support will help Belarusian theatre workers feel a part of the universal theatre process.

Your attention to the people who live and are forced to create in "Europe’s last dictatorship" will prompt governments of civilized countries to exert pressure on the current Belarusian regime and make it observe human rights.

Your solidarity will help avoid new victims on Belarus's way towards the family of democratic Europe.

Natalia Koliada, Managing Director, Free Theatre, Belarus
Nikolai Khalezin, Artistic Director, Free Theatre
Vladimir Scherban, Director, Free Theatre
Anna Solomianskaya, Actress
Yana Rusakevich, Actress
Olga Shantsyna, Actress
Pavel Rodak-Gorodnitski, Actor
Alexey Razmakhov, Actor
Denis Tarasenko, Actor
Oleg Sidorchik, Actor
Alexander Molchanov, Actor, National Drama Theatre named after J. Kupala
Marya Vavokhina, Manager
Pavel Pryazhko, Playwright
Konstantyn Steshik, Playwright

15:41, 27/03/2006

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