Siarhei Sparysh read Kafka’s “The Castle” in the original

2023-11-23 14:07:53

Insulator, work on cleaning wires, self-education. Here is what was known about the associate Nikolay Statkevichactivist of the “People’s Society” Sergey Sparysh, who was behind bars in June 2020 and a year later ended up in colony No. 22 near Ivacevichi, where he is serving a 6-year sentence. An experienced source told Svaboda about the changes in the life of a well-known political prisoner behind bars.

“He worked as a wire stripper, and now he is studying to become a plasterer,” said the interlocutor. Before his imprisonment, Siarhei Sparysh worked as a welder at the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, where he got a job when he left the conservatory. There he studied to be a composer and wrote a symphony, but became disillusioned with music and got a job at a factory. To be, as he said, “closer to the people.”

The source says the following about Sergey’s current mood:

“He’s holding on, he’s in a good mood, his mood is normal. He reads and writes a lot. He has been writing a great work on history for many years. He continues to study French and improves his German. The result is good, judging by the fact that he read Kafka’s “The Castle” in the original language, that is, in German.”

According to the source, Syarhei Sparysh manages to hand over the ordered books, although “sometimes they don’t give him the parcels.”

“I lost a lot of weight. He does not complain especially about his health, but he has problems with his teeth, which are difficult to solve. He receives food parcels, so he has the opportunity to feed himself,” the source said.

According to the source, the connection with Syarhei Sparysh is irregular.

“It happens that there are no calls or letters for a long time, but then the silence is interrupted. There was a short call recently.”

Even before 2020, the activist of “Narodnaya Gramada” Syarhei Sparysh was detained many times at opposition rallies. In 2021, he was tried in the so-called “Army with the People” telegram channel case and found guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code, including Article 191 (obstructing the exercise of electoral rights.

This article was issued to the activist for critical statements addressed to the chairman of the Central Election Committee Lidija Yarmoshyna, who is considered by many to be responsible for the falsification of the elections in Belarus. Syarhei Sparysh did not admit his guilt on any of the charges. Belarusian human rights defenders recognized Sparysh as a political prisoner.