FEMEN on Euronews about Belarus and Lukashenka

Ina Shauchenka believes that the movement’s activists could be killed in Belarus.

One of the founders of the Ukrainian movement FEMEN reminded the Euronews TV channel how the action ended, which took place in Minsk on 19 December 2011, on the first anniversary of the post-election protest’s dispersal.

“For the first time in FEMEN movement’s history we were nearly killed. It happened in 2011 in Belarus. Me and two activists participated in a manifestation against the dictatorship in that country and against Lukashenka. After the action we were kidnapped and we spent a day in the hands of real murderers. They took us into the woods, bullied us, cut my hair. They poured oil on us and started a bonfire nearby. They acted like they were going to kill us, and it lasted for long 24 hours. Every minute we waited that they would deal shortly with us. Naturally, in moments like this you start intensively thinking, including of what our activities will end with. In such a terrifying moment you do not think of being a victim. It is unbelievable, but then, at the death’s door I did not feel myself a victim. Why did these people made us go through terrible ordeal? Because we told the truth”.

We would remind that FEMEN activists were kidnapped in Minsk on 19 December after their action near the KGB building. They were found in almost 24 hours in a small village at the border between Belarus and Ukraine. The women were beaten up. The activists told that they were riding a bus the whole night blindfolded, and then taken to a forest, where the kidnappers poured oil on them, threatened with setting them on fire, threatened with a knife with which they latter cut the hair. Then they left the Ukrainians in the forest, having taken their documents and money. Apart from that, the girls state that all the humiliation was videotaped, and they believe that it was done by Belarusian special services.

Belarusian police refused to start a case on the fact of the attack at the FEMEN activists.

Another action of the feminist movement took place very recently – on 18 June – in Kiev.

At midnight FEMEN activists came out with torches. Slogans “Lukashenka is a beast”, “Long live Belarus”, “Lukashenka, die”, “Fuck dictator” were written on their bodies. The girls chanted slogans in support of political prisoners in our country.

They action was stopped by dozen riot police fighters, who guarded the peace of the Belarusian dictator.