Participant of protests in Belarus sentenced to 3 years of restriction of freedom | Major political events in Belarus: assessments, forecasts, comments

A court in Minsk on Friday, December 24, sentenced a third-year student of the Faculty of Chemistry of the Belarusian State University Zlata Yanukovych to three years of restriction of freedom. According to the Belarus Women’s Foundation, Yanukovych was found guilty under a criminal article for organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order. In addition, Minsktrans sued her for about 25 thousand Belarusian rubles (about 8,770 euros) for “losses from road closures.”

Zlata Yanukovych is one of the women depicted in the photo, who became one of the symbols of the mass protests in Belarus after the 2020 presidential elections. Police detained Yanukovych in mid-October 2021. According to the Viasna human rights center, the Belarusian authorities continue to detain participants in high-profile actions even many months later.

Many of them are charged with blocking the passage of vehicles. However, the author of the famous photograph taken the day after the elections, Olga Shukailo, noted that at the time of the shooting, Pobediteley Avenue in Minsk had already been blocked.

The situation in Belarus after the 2020 elections

In August 2020, presidential elections were held in Belarus, following which the CEC announced the victory of Alexander Lukashenko with a score of over 80 percent. On election day, massive protests began in the country that stretched out for several months. Speeches of citizens convinced of falsification of election results were harshly suppressed by riot police.

Subsequently, the protesters changed the format of the actions to a local one. The opposition formed a Coordinating Council to transfer power, but in the end all members of the Constitutional Court Presidium were either arrested or found themselves abroad. Hundreds of citizens were convicted under articles related to the protests.

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Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Peaceful protest posters
“Everything is so bad that even introverts came out,” is one of the posters that will be remembered for the Belarusian peaceful protest a year ago. An exhibition at the Folkwang Museum in Essen, Germany shows how Belarusians express their discontent with the help of art. Its organizers are in solidarity with the people of Belarus who demand changes and draw attention to the difficult situation of cultural workers who have suffered from repressions.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Opposition graphic symbols
The heart, “Victory” and the fist became symbols of the leaders of the protest: Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Maria Kolesnikova and Veronica Tsepkalo. The opposition logo was based on a drawing by Antonina Slobodchikova. The posters that were used at street actions in Belarus were posted on the Cultprotest.me platform. Due to the persecution of those who disagree with the authorities, the protest became partisan and is actively continuing on the Internet.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Responsible for the repression
A red bloody streak leads to Lukashenka. The Belarusian ruler is widely considered responsible for the brutal and uncompromising suppression of mass protests by Belarusians after the presidential elections in August 2020. “Sometimes there is no time for laws,” he said at a meeting with security officials, justifying the disproportionate use of force. In the photo – a poster by Ekaterina Prokopyeva.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Memes about “three percent”
The famous designer Vladimir Tsesler has dedicated a lot of works to the Belarusian protest. Fearing reprisals, he left the country, but continues to cover the topic of change. According to official data, Alexander Lukashenko won 80% of the vote in the presidential elections, but opposition supporters speak of massive falsifications. According to some online polls, 3% voted for him. These numbers have spawned many memes.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Instead of wings – Belarusian prison bars
The forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk and the arrest of opposition blogger Roman Protasevich, who was a passenger on board, drew sharp criticism around the world. This incident is reminded of another poster by Vladimir Tsesler, who re-interpreted the logo of the Irish airline.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Trampling on human rights
Human rights activists talk about flagrant violations in Belarus. Amnesty International points out that the judiciary is used to punish those affected by the actions of the security forces, not to bring those responsible to justice. About 700 Belarusians filed complaints about torture and beatings. The Investigative Committee refused to open a criminal case. Anna Muraida’s poster.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
The colors of protest
Historical white-red-white (BCH) symbolism in Belarus has turned into the symbolism of the protesters. The authorities call her demonstration, even in the form of a child’s drawing on a window or on socks, an illegal picket, issue fines for it, and detain it. One recent example: a resident of Minsk has to pay about $ 1,000 for red and white braids.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Belarusian nightmare – paddy wagon
Car wagons have become a symbol of detention and torture against not only protesters, but also bystanders, who are mistaken by the security forces for such. The Belarusians themselves call the fear of this special transport traveling along the city streets “busophobia”. The Belarusian conceptual artist Nik Osadchy dedicated his work to her.

Belarusian protest – in the art of poster
Peaceful dialogue with the security official
Flowers and the pursuit of peaceful dialogue against barbed wire and machine guns. Illustrator Olga Balay dedicated this work to pensioner Nina Baginskaya, one of the symbols of the Belarusian revolution. The artists also express their protest in social networks under the hashtags #cultprotest #cultprotest #cultprotest. The Essen exhibition will run until October 24.
Author: Raina Breuer, Janina Moroz