Leading Belarus opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova has been held behind bars for over a year in a Minsk penitentiary.
In 2020, Kolesnikova coordinated Viktor Babariko’s campaign in the run-up to Belarus’ presidential election. When Babariko, a prominent banker, was arrested on money-laundering charges, Kolesnikova became a key figure in the opposition’s Coordination Council.
In August 2020, the group backed mass demonstrations across the country when it was announced that incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko had been reelected as president for a sixth term, in a vote that the opposition and the West denounced as a sham. Many countries have refused to accept the election result.
Kolesnikova was a key figure at the countrywide protests in 2020
Kolesnikova — a professional flutist who spent years working as a cultural manager in the southern German city of Stuttgart — soon rose to become one of the country’s most prominent women dissidents. In September 2020, Belarus authorities attempted to force her into exile. She would not budge, however, and was arrested.
One year later, Kolesnikova and lawyer, Maxim Znak, another leading member of the Coordination Council, were tried for “inciting action aimed at harming national security” and “extremism.” They were handed jail terms of 11 and 10 years, respectively.
International observers have called the trial a farce, and Germany has repeatedly demanded Kolesnikova’s release. She will appeal the verdict on December 24.
Life behind bars taking its toll
DW was able to send Kolesnikova a range of questions concerning her trial, life behind bars and her expectations. She told DW that life in custody meant being deprived of “everything: air, the sun, my flute, letters, conversations and a shower.” But, she added, “knowing what you live for means that does not matter.”
While her mail correspondence has been restricted, she nevertheless feels “the care and love of people in Belarus and the whole world.” That, she said, gives her “colossal support and energy.”
German singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann — once a prominent East German dissident — and Green politician Claudia Roth have been campaigning for her release.
Kolesnikova called the jail terms handed down to her and Znak “absurd, because neither of us are guilty.” She said it was “only one person who seized state power,” and has refused to ask for a pardon, saying “that is out of the question.” How, she wrote, is she supposed to confess to something she has not done?
No regrets
Together with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo, Kolesnikova makes up a trio of prominent dissident woman who have come to represent the Belarus opposition movement. Tsikhanouskaya and Tsepkalo have both been forced into exile, with Tsikhanouskaya recently saying she could work more effectively from abroad; a return to Belarus could land her in jail, too.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
Three symbols of Belarusian resistance
An exhibition at the Museum Folkwang in Essen shows how artists from Belarus are defending themselves against the regime in the digital realm. This picture by Antonina Slobodchikova shows the symbols of the strong trio of women who stood up to Lukashenko: Maria Kolesnikova’s symbol is the heart, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s is the fist, and the victory sign represents Veronica Tsepkalo.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
Lukashenko’s bloody trail
A long trail of blood leads from a drawing of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in this work by Ekateryna Prokoyeba. His regime brutally suppressed last year’s protests with arrests, torture and intimidation. Many opposition members and demonstrators were injured or ended up in prison. Those who could, fled the country.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
‘Seizing Private Ryanair’
Vladimir Tsesler is one of Belarus’s best-known artists and a fierce critic of the regime. This poster commemorates the Ryanair plane that was forced to land, after which opposition member Roman Protashevich was arrested at Minsk airport. Lukashenko himself is said to have ordered the forced landing, on the grounds that there had been a report of explosive materials on board.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
‘Loading…’
In early August 2020, Alexander Lukashenko declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election. According to unofficial statistics, only 3% actually voted for him, thus establishing the meme “Sasha 3 percent,” depicted here by artist Vladimir Tsesler. Independent election observers were not allowed.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
‘The Human Rights Situation in Belarus’
As expressed in this poster by artist Hanna Murajda, the human rights situation in Belarus is alarming. Activists and journalists are severely restricted in their work and a number of organizations are trying to draw attention to the situation. A report by Amnesty International concludes that the judicial system is used to punish victims instead of holding perpetrators accountable.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
‘Wall’
White-red-white are the colors of the national flag of the first independent Belarusian state, which was proclaimed on March 25, 1918. Lukashenko abolished the flag in 1995, shortly after the start of his term in office. Today, they are the colors of the opposition, which risks its life in the fight against police violence and a corrupt regime. Hanna Murajda depicts the flag as a wall.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
“Busophobia”
Avtozak, as the buses in Nick Osadchiy’s image are called, are the stuff of nightmares for opposition members. They demonstrate power and represent torture and violence. People on the streets are dragged into such buses and taken to prisons. As a result, the term “busophobia” established itself among demonstrators. Anyone, regardless of whether they are politically active or not, can be arrested.
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Defiant poster art by Belarusian artists
Olga Balai
Anything in white-red-white can be perceived by the regime as criticism and resistance. This creates a state that goes against its own people, as this poster by Olga Balai shows. Under the title “Cultprotest.me — Artists for Democracy in Belarus,” the Museum Folkwang in Essen is holding an exhibition of protest posters by young pro-democracy artists from Belarus that runs through October 24, 2021.
Author: Rayna Breuer
Despite imprisonment, Kolesnikova told DW she does “not regret” remaining in the country. She said the “jails are crowded with honest, courageous Belarusians, who waste no time thinking about giving up, despite the phenomenal pressure [they are under].” She added that “it is an honor to join my people on this journey toward peace and change; everyone plays a [unique] role in this story.”
Kolesnikova wrote that she has plenty of plans for when she gets out of jail. “I have many ideas for music and arts projects; one of them is transforming the remand center into a cultural hub.” She also intends to set up a “center for resocializing and rehabilitating women who have been imprisoned.”
‘A matter of time’ before Lukashenko loses power
DW also asked Kolesnikova about a new constitutional draft proposed by Lukashenko, as well as a recently signed deal between Belarus and Russia. She wrote that “nobody has seen the new conditional draft, or the 28 union state programs [road maps that are intended to bind the two countries more closely together].”
She also wrote that she finds it hard to believe civil society and the media are being “destroyed” in the country, while at the same time effort is being made to “democratize” the constitution and “get away from authoritarianism.”
She also urged all Belarusians in exile not to forget about their fellow compatriots at home. “I admire all those who were forced to emigrate and still keep fighting for Belarus; everyone is putting in their share working toward a common goal,” she said.
“It is important not to get detached from reality, and to realize that the situation is rather serious and that it will take a while until a solution is reached,” she added.
Kolesnikova told DW that “more than a year” had already been lost in the struggle to remove Lukashenko. But she is certain his departure is “merely a matter of time, that is the price Belarusians will pay.” She wrote that everyone — including Lukashenko and his allies — is losing out the longer he remains in power.
“Nothing lasts forever, and there are forces [within the government] open to constructive steps and dialogue,” she told DW. “The lives of Belarusians, our shared future, our shared home — those are our core values; and they compel us to seek a way out of this crisis.”
This article has been translated from German
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DW exclusive: Belarus dissident Maria Kolesnikova speaks from jail
Source:
Pinoy Pop News
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