Natallia Kaliada: «Belarus has more arrested viewers than any other country»

“Free Theater” presented a play “Legends of Childhood” in a private house in Minsk on October 19. The play was dedicated to democratic activist Paval Yukhnevich who was arrested then for 15 days.

The administrative violation protocol was filed on Paval Yukhnevich after the detentions during plays of “Free Theater.” OMON detained 50 viewers and actors of the theater on August 22.

Before the play, head of “Free Theater” Natallia Kaliada addressed the audience and told them about the arrest of Paval Yukhnevich. The democratic activist was the first viewer in Belarus who was sentenced to 15 days of arrest for watching a play, as she put it.

At a meeting after the play, “Free Theater” expressed a firm protest against the arrest and persecution of Paval Yukhnevich.

“Belarus is listed 151 in the rate of freedom of speech by “Reporters without Borders”. Belarus is the first in the arrested viewers rate. We would be happy to see these places changed. Once Maxim Gorkiy (a Russian writer of the 1st half of XX cent) was ordered to make a report in Solovki (a prison in Russia). When he arrived there he saw a very clean place, prisoners walking free. But then he realized something was wrong there. Gorkiy saw prisoners reading newspaper “Pravda” turned upside down… This story reflects the situation in Belarus before, during and after the European March,” Natallia Kaliada told press-service of Charter’97.