ideas: from the world

Life, art under Belarus’ iron rule

Real democracy never came to Belarus. When the USSR collapsed and the landlocked race declared sovereignty in 1990, its people were subjected to yet more Soviet-style uncompromising rule.

It is the only dictatorship left in Europe, with a human rights record to match it would seem. The clampdown on civil society by the ‘elected Government’ has, for many, been brutal.

Amnesty International’s 2008 report on human rights abuses in Belarus says any form of public activity not sanctioned by the State – including religious worship – can be prosecuted. Freedom of expression, association and assembly do not exist. Its 2008 report states:

“Opposition activists were given long prison sentences for the peaceful expression of their views, or activists were harassed and prosecuted under the administrative code for lesser offences and fined or detained for short periods. Human rights and opposition organisations faced considerable difficulties in registering and activists were prosecuted for acting in the name of unregistered organisations.”

An opponent to long-serving President Alexander Lukashenko, Alyaksandr Kozulin, is currently serving a five-and-a-half year sentence for “hooliganism” and “organising group activities that breach public order” during the 2006 ‘election’. Like that poll, the international community condemned a parliamentary election last September which Human Rights Watch reports saw a major lack of transparency in the vote count. Its Events of 2008 report states:

“The government controls political opposition groups, NGOs [non-government organisations], and trade unions through costly and burdensome registration requirements, and often denies registration for unfounded reasons. Some requirements, such as a legal address in a nonresidential building, are often too expensive for applicants to meet, while authorities have denied registration to NGOs for such minor technical reasons as incorrect birth date information and typos in names on applications, rather than giving them an opportunity to make corrections. Activists are also required to apply for demonstration permits, but the onerous application process serves as a tool to restrict the right to hold peaceful assemblies. Belarusian authorities continue to fine, jail and search the homes of opposition activists in relation to organising and participating in ‘unauthorised events’.”

Belarus is the only country in Europe that still executes prisoners. They are shot in the back of the head; families are not told of the date of execution nor where the body has been buried. The media is tightly controlled by the Government, with printing companies banned from producing any material which “discredits Belarus” by “fraudulent representation” of developments in the country. Women are regularly trafficked from Belarus and neighbouring countries to Russia and other European and Middle Eastern countries for forced labour and prostitution. The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, released last June, says while the Government has taken steps to stamp out trafficking, it does not fully comply with minimum standards to wipe it out.

Why do I write this? Because amidst the tyranny of this otherwise forgettable country a small theatre group risks prison and violence to speak out. Belarus Free Theatre exists only underground, with shows in makeshift theatres on the outskirts of the capital Minsk to evade police. Audience members are sent text messages to alert them of the venue at the last minute. There have been raids on some performances and performers and audience members have been beaten.

Brisbane theatre-goers could simply book online, and we shouldn’t ever take that for granted. I attended opening night of a short season at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Wednesday, following a well-reviewed run as part of the Sydney Festival. It was powerful stuff.

Being Harold Pinter is a sparsely-performed pastiche of real-life events of torture and repression in Belarus, juxtaposed with the plays and Nobel Prize acceptance speech of Pinter, an actor, writer, director and political activist I was ashamed to discover after his death last year is considered perhaps the greatest playwright since Shakespeare. In truth, the performance – all in Russian and Belarusian with English subtitles projected onto a screen – was incoherent in parts for a Pinter novice.

But these performers, their bravery and defiance, were truly inspiring; their passion and patriotism and hope for a better existence palpable. Where they succeed – brilliantly, importantly – is to almost demand the audience to make themselves aware of what is happening in Belarus, and any other repressive regime around the world for that matter. If you can’t make it to a performance, I very much hope you have read this far.

© 2009 importance of ideas….