Syarhei Mikhalok: The patient is in grave condition

The leader of Lyapis Trubetskoy band, de facto forbidden in Belarus, offers to call psychiatrists for a well-known person.

The most famous Belarusian group presents its concert programme based on the band's new album “Veselye Kartinki” in Moscow, OpenSpace.ru writes.

The Minsk-based rock band has played the new programme in St Petersburg, Finland and Ukraine. The group is forbidden to perform in Belarus: their songs cannot be heard on the radio and concerts are banned on different pretexts. Two-day presentation of their new album in Minsk scheduled for late March was canceled with no reasons given. Belarusian fans have to visit the band's gigs abroad. Syarhei Mikhalok tells how the group lives under ban and says the Belorusian authorities are inadequate.

Is it true that your songs “Hrai” (Play) and “Belarus Freedom” are forbidden on the radio?

I do not know if this is true, because these songs have been never aired on Belarusian radio stations. That's why I regard this ban as another proof that the patient is in grave condition. It's time to create an international commission of famous psychiatrists, who should come to Belarus and examine the mental health of all officers of governmental bodies, ideologists, ministers responsible for culture and art, and the “president”. The events in today's Belarus show that he is either drunken, or under the influence of drugs, or he has an severe form of schizophrenia. … Such people must be isolated. I urge the world community: please, send “blue helmets” and Red Cross, but the main thing, send many doctors and strong keepers.

Were any official statements regarding the ban made?

In our country, official statements do not bear any relation to the real life. … You know, the main governmental body in our country is ideological. They bring ideology in all spheres of life. Ideology officers are ignorant en masse, so how can we speak about culture?