PEN Norway has invited three prominent voices from Belarus to talk about the current situation for human rights and freedom of expression in the country, and how the international community can support civil society organisations and HRDs in their fight for democracy and human rights. This event is organized by the PEN Norway’s Committee for Imprisoned Writers.
PROGRAM:
Welcome by Dag Larsen, Chair of PEN Norway’s Committee for Imprisoned WritersPoetry reading by Dmitrij Strotsev, the recipient of the Norwegian Authors’ Union Freedom of Expression Award in 2021
Speakers:
– Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Secretary-General of PEN Norway
– Taciana Niadbaj, President of PEN BelarusPanel discussion:
– Iryna Kozika, Executive Director of PEN Belarus and sister of the imprisoned lawyer Maksim Znak
– Aliaksandra Safonava, Project Manager for Belarus in the Norwegian Helsinki Committee
– Taciana Niadbaj, President of PEN Belarus
– Jørgen Watne Frydnes will moderate the conversation
At the end of the panel discussion, we open the floor to questions from the audience.
Background information about the event/topic:In 2022, Ales Bialiatski, a Belarusian author and human rights advocate, was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. Tragically, shortly thereafter, he was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison. This highlights the urgent need for PEN Belarus’s ongoing efforts to shed light on the injustices in Belarus.The grim reality within Belarusian prisons and detention centers is harrowing: frigid and drafty cells with stark concrete walls and floors, a lack of mattresses and basic clothing, and unrelenting lighting. Inadequate food, medical care, solitary confinement, and isolation from the outside world are the daily tribulations endured by countless opposition figures in Belarus today.According to the human rights organization Viasna, there are more than 1,500 political prisoners, and more than 3,000 individuals are convicted for being opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime.
In 2022, 1,390 human rights violations against cultural workers in Belarus were documented, and this number continues to rise. Many face arbitrary arrests, are denied fair trials, and have limited access to legal representation. A recent report characterizes the sheer volume of trials, detentions, and abuses as an assembly line of injustice.The regime actively suppresses the use of the country’s native language. The Russification of cultural life is on the rise, and there is an escalating persecution of cultural workers. The pursuit of free expression is perilous, forcing many to leave the country.
PEN Norway supports human rights defender, writers, journalists, artists, and other cultural figures in Belarus, in cooperation with PEN Belarus. PEN Belarus works from exile in Poland, after the authorities closed the organization in 2021.
