"I'm not afraid. Let them be afraid!"
Malanka Media, an independent Belarusian media, Viasna Human Rights Center, Russia-Libertés, Espace Libertés/Reforum Space Paris with the support of the European Commission are pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition about the intertwined fates of two outstanding human rights defenders, prisoners of conscience and Nobel Peace Prize laureates Ales Bialiatski and Oleg Orlov.
Ales Bialiatski is a Belarusian human rights activist, founder and head of the Viasna Human Rights Center, who in 2023 was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his human rights activities. Ales is one of the most important human rights defenders in modern Belarus. His work and efforts are aimed at protecting civil liberties and fighting for democracy in a country existing under dictatorship since 1994.
A long-time friend of Ales Bialiatski, Oleg Orlov is an equally prominent figure in human rights in Russia, one of the founders of the Memorial Human Rights Defence Center, and winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. He was recently sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony for his statements against the war in Ukraine.
As the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris approach, where athletes from these two countries will march under a neutral flag, we want to use this exhibition to draw attention to the civil society of both countries, whose voice has been completely silenced, but which, despite all efforts to silence it, continues to fight for human rights and the freedom of expression.
Evening program:
July 2, 19.00
Opening of the exhibition;
Screening of the film The Rules of Life of Ales Bialiatski. Directed by Yury Butko and Aleksandryna Hlaholeva. Lithuania, 2023 (29 minutes);
Reading letters from Belarusian and Russian political prisoners.
The program of events:
July 3, 19.00
Screening of Manon Loizeau's film Belarus: An Ordinary Dictatorship. France, 2018 (57 minutes);
Discussion with the author about the work on the film in Belarus and about life in the country that has long been called "the last dictatorship of Europe", which, on the one hand, looks up to Moscow, and on the other, has been opposing the regime for many years and dreams of the Belarusian spring coming again.
July 4, 19.00
The screening of Olga Kravets's film It's Getting Dark. Russia-France, 2016 (52 minutes);
A discussion with the author about political persecution in Russia, and a story about families and the transformation of their lives when one of their loved ones is an "enemy of the state".
July 5, 19.00
Reading letters from Belarusian and Russian political prisoners.
The exhibition will run until July 30
Where: Espace Libertés / Reforum Space Paris
16 rue Oberkampf, Paris 11
For press inquiries: politicalprisoners.exhibition@gmail.com
Admission is free after registration: espacel@russie-libertes.org
