Henadz Loyka at liberty


After serving out five days of administrative arrest sculptor Henadz Loyka has been released from Minsk detention centre.

The activist was detained on February 21, 2013 after holding the action in support of the Belarusian language. In front of Minsk Gimnasium No 4 he unfurled the banner saying “Greetings on Mother Language Day! Gymnasium No. 4 was the last one where Belarusian was the language of instruction”. The sculptor told journalists that the Belarusian education system was being Russianized and stressed that the charter of Gymnasium No. 4 had been amended to allow the staff to teach children in Russian.

Judge Lyudmila Lapo found Mr Loyka guilty in unsanctioned picketing and sentenced him to 5 days in detention.

He did not regret the action, Loyka said. “But it is a pity I failed to organise a performance. In my opinion, all went well,” he told reporters.

Henadz Loyka is about to file a complaint against the judge who denied his motion for sending for a court interpreter into Belarusian.

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Henadz Loyka is a Belarusian sculptor, teacher and civil society activist. He was an author of famous plain-airs “The Sand Legend” which resulted in giant statues made of sand (“Mindoug’s Crown”, “St. John’s prayer”, “The lion’s grave. Masheka”, “Keystut loaded with chains” and many others.

Some years ago he lost his job as a techer of plastic arts and drawing at school No 185 by reason of “drawing children into politics”.

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