Go into the courtyard of Summerhall Arts Village at the edge of Edinburgh’s Meadows and you will find, hanging above a group of picnic tables, an extraordinary art installation – a collection of 1,401 labels. On them are the written names of political prisoners held in Belarusian prisons when the exhibition was set up earlier this year. The majority are red and white, the colours of the Belarusian opposition flag, but a few are black in memory of those who have already died in captivity.
The exhibit is part of Voices Squeezing Through The Bars, staged jointly by the NGO human rights organisation, Libereco, and the People’s Consulate of Belarus in Scotland, both of which strive to highlight the plight of political prisoners in Belarus and the continuing abuse of human rights by the Lukashenko regime.
Belarusian activists receive draconian sentences
Most of the names on the colourful display belong to opposition activists who participated in the street protests and demonstrations following the rigged presidential elections of 2020, social media commentators or those who stood as candidates. Among these is 38-year-old Viktar Ghrynko, convicted in June 2023 for insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus, hooliganism, financing the activities of an extremist group and promoting extremist activities. The former banker was detained in October 2022 after persons unknown hung an opposition Belarusian flag and the flag of Ukraine on a pylon in Minsk.
The length of his sentence is unknown, but that of Dzmitry Dubouski is not. The long-time political activist, an active participant in the unrest of 2020, received 20 years in November 2022 for a range of alleged terrorist offences. According to his sister, Dmitry has been subject to both physical and mental torture by the KGB through beatings, strangulation and long stints in isolation cells.
Harrowing images from prison cells
On the wall of a corridor near the courtyard of Summerhall is a collection of reproduction drawings by prisoners made in their cells and included in letters sent from prison to their loved ones. The artwork is crafted with simple materials on basic writing paper or jotters, bringing to life the stark conditions in which these prisoners are kept as well as the hopes, fears and defiant spirit of all those who stand against political oppression in Belarus. A stark black-and-white drawing of a grim prison cell takes on an even more shocking significance when combined with the words of the inmate’s letter describing the -22C outside temperature – the windows fixed open so that there is a constant draft and the impossibility of sleeping for more than a short period of time before waking up again.
Another poignant image is a self-portrait by Ales Pushkin, a non-conformist painter, cartoonist, theatre performer and art curator who mysteriously died in the intensive care unit of a Grodno prison hospital in July 2023, aged 57, despite having no history of serious illness. Here the artist-activist depicts himself with eyes and mouth bound, unable to see or describe the cruelty and oppression of the Lukashenko regime. Ales was serving a five-year sentence for “inciting hatred and the desecration of state symbols”. Before his arrest, he had expressed his opposition to Lukashenko in a number of striking artworks, including a depiction of Lukashenko in hell, surrounded by riot police, on a fresco in a church in Bobr, a village lying rough halfway between Minsk and Vitebsk.
How Scotland’s politicians are supporting political prisoners
Many of Belarus’s political prisoners have been adopted by 424 members of European parliaments under Libereco’s godparent scheme as part of the #WeStandBYyou campaign “for solidarity with all people in Belarus who are committed to free and fair elections, democratization of the country, the rule of law and respect for human rights.”
Prominent Scottish politicians taking part in the scheme include LibDem MPs Christine Jardine and Wendy Chamberlain, Labour’s Lord George Foulkes and Baroness Helena Kennedy, currently director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. Among the Scottish Parliament’s godparents are LibDems Liam McArthur, Willie Rennie and SNP MSPs Neil Gray, Christina McKelvie, Angus Robertson, Emma Roddick as well as former FM Humza Yousaf. The involvement of foreign politicians with named political prisoners helps to put pressure on the Belarusian authorities to treat these detainees more fairly. It may well also facilitate their early release and even save their lives.
Some 190 prisoners or more have now been released, including Pavel Drozd and Aliaksandr Ivulin, previous godchildren of Wendy Chamberlain and Liam McArthur respectively. Pavel was convicted of hacking the computer system of the Minsk City Executive Committee, while Aliaksandr, a footballer, journalist and YouTuber was sentenced for placing the white-red-white flag of the Belarusian opposition in the window of his flat. Both were released in February of last year, having served the full term of their sentences for activities relating to the events of 2020. The support of politicians from democratic countries is greatly appreciated by prisoners and their families. As the husband of a current political prisoner recently told Libereco:
“This solidarity helps us to hold on and wait for our loved ones to come back from captivity. It is solidarity that helps you to understand that we’re not left alone in our tragedy. This is very important because it makes us feel that we are many and that there are people who care about political prisoners. Therefore, we will win.”
Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
This summer there has been a trickle of surprise amnesties resulting in about 80 prisoner releases, according to the Belarusian human rights organisation, Viasna. While some of these prisoners have been suffering from serious medical conditions, this is not universally so. As the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford points out in her article of 12 September 2024, selection for release appears arbitrary, and no one really knows why it is happening now:
It is possible that Lukashenko, a shrewd political survivor, is attempting to curry favour with the Belarusian people by playing the role of a benevolent dictator prior to the new presidential elections in early 2025. In addition, he is attempting to separate himself from Putin and Belarus from Russia in the minds of the international community in case Russia’s current war with Ukraine morphs into a confrontation with NATO and Russia is defeated. By distancing himself from Putin and appearing to be more humane, Lukashenko is hoping he may survive as leader of his country even if Putin does not.
Another example of Belarus attempting to court Western favours is the introduction of visa-free travel to Belarus for UK passport holders and some others for up to 30 days, albeit for a limited period from July till the end of 2024. The opportunity is more theoretical than practical, however, given that travel across Belarus’s land borders is severely restricted and direct flights from Western countries no longer happen, making travel by plane very expensive and time-consuming.
Whether Lukashenko continues with these apparently more liberal and humane policies will no doubt depend on many events outside his direct control; the course of the war in Ukraine, the outcome of the US presidential election and the attitude of the West towards the Belarus presidential election in the New Year. Meanwhile, for the Belarusian opposition, there appears to be a glimmer of hope for at least a temporary respite from suffering.
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