Portrait of political prisoner at underground station


The large portrait of imprisoned ex-presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich and a white-red-white flag were hung over the entrance to underground station Niamiga in Minsk on April 21, 2013. The event was going to well-known Belarusian band Lyapis Trubetskoy’s song “Belarus Freedom”.

Held by Zmena, a youth wing of Tell the Truth civil campaign, the action was aimed at drawing people’s attention to the political prisoners’ situation along with calling on the authorities to release them.

Passers-by were taking pictures of the station entrance with the image of Statkevich and the forbidden flag over it, Pavel Vinahradau, Zmena’s activist, told Belsat TV. According to the interviewee, he fully understands that their actions might backfire: “I believe police will come to me on Monday. Such is life… I am ready!”

After the 1995 referendum the white-red-white flag is used as a symbol of the opposition to the regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, most notably at the protests after the 2006 and 2010 presidential elections.

Belsat

www.belsat.eu/en

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