Pavel Kharlanchuk Tries to Get Rehabilitated at Work
The hearings on rehabilitation of the actor Pavel Kharlanchuk at work continue at Minsk Maskouski borough court since 1 March. The next hearing is scheduled to 2 p.m. on 17 March. The case is considered by judge Z.Shastakou.
We should remind that a talented actor of the highest category and producer Pavel Kharlanchuk was fired from M.Gorky National academic theater ‘because of incompatibility with the occupied position’. For his participation in a peaceful protest action against the rigged presidential election in spring 2006 (for which he was arrested for 10 days) Mr. Kharlanchuk was deprived of any roles in plays since 20 September. The minister of culture U.Matsveichuk and a deputy minister U.Rylatka came to one of the troupe to discriminate in the situation. Matsveichuk said that only those who support the president could work in the theater and was booed by the actors.
Nevertheless, the theater administration insistently advised him to resign ‘on his own will’, but he didn’t agree. Then the attestation commission stated that he had violated the moral fundamentals of the theater and proposed to confess him professionally unfit.
At the trial the witnesses of the theater administration insisted that Mr. Kharlanchuk was fired because in spring 2006, being under arrest, he was unable to perform the main roles in two plays thus disrupting them. As a result the theater had to stage other plays instead. On the other hand, at the trial all workers of the theater stated that such replacements usually take place in the case an actor is ill. It’s worth mentioning that after firing Pavel didn’t get any other job in the theater.
‘Pavel is the most talented actor of our theater. We don’t have an equal replacement and his firing can result even in a greater loss to the theater,’ said to the court a stage director Aliaskandr Tkachonak. P.Kharlanchuk and his lawyer still insist on finding this firing illegal. The trial was attended by his relatives, an actress Hanna Iuzhakova, students, friends and journalists.
Maryia SAVUSHKINA
