Belarus Behind Closed Doors | Journeyman Pictures

Transcript

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Nina! Nina! Nina!

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Nina! Nina! Nina!

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Maybe the one

and a half meter tall

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grandmother here is

not the obvious heroine.

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I want to overcome

this regime. I

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wish what's good

for the youth. That's

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why I go (on

demos). I do not even

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consider myself a

heroine or a martyr.

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But Grandma Nina is the flag

bearer of the revolution - and

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for many an icon of the peaceful

popular uprising in Belarus.

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Police try in vain to block the

weekend's huge women's march

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- but neither Nina nor the

others let themselves be stopped.

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The authorities

stubbornly does not want

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to accept the will of

their people. So this

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fascist government

is against its people,

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and they have to go away. Leave,

not rule.

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It's not hard to see where the

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inspiration for the

small but hugely

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popular music video from the rock

band Daj Darogu has come from

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She's a serious patriot.

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Lead singer Yuri Stilsky sits in

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his home studio

in the provincial

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town of Brest and

shows us the song

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that has gone viral

in recent weeks

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Right now they're working

on a new protest song.

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There is no pain,

no OMON and no slaves anymore!

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I think it a good start.

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Basically,

we are standing here until we

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no longer have any more demands,

correct?

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Yes!

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After participating

in a number of

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demonstrations, he has

already twice had to spend

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the night in prison

after arrest, but now

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a new message has

come from the authorities

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It is a summons to the

Leninsky court for sentencing

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because I was on the square

with a red and white flag

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Even worse,

they could arrest for a

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video clip,

for 'anti-propoganda',

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sabotage of an institution.

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I keep thinking,

what should I wear to it?

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Or do I need to wear

anything special?

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To be honest, I don't care.

I'll dress as I always do.

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Hello.

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Artem,

are you on your way to court?

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Yeah, I'm going,

I've got 30 minutes, it

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takes 10 to get there.

Everything is O.K.

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Nervous?

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Yeah.

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It'll be alright.

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Great,

call is from Moscow by the

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way. Go on, Danik,

have a good one.

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Summons.

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In the second of the musical scale

stands the Minsk Philharmonic Choir.

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After the election and

police violence, they lined up

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in front of the concert

hall and sang their protest.

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We wanted to show

that we are citizens of

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Belarus,

and that our votes were stolen.

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We came out and

sang the Belarussian

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hymn, "God Almighty,

in Belarussian.

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- It's the unofficial hymn.

- Yes, the unoffiical one. A hymn and a prayer.

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Olga Hodina is a soprano

in the classical choir

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and not an activist at all.

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I can't remember

it without tears.

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Even though I've had to

talk about it so many times.

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A car came up.

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We saw immediately

an officer ran out.

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Or maybe they were

OMON. I do not know,

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because of course

they don't name

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themselves when they

come and grab people.

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He ran up to the young man who

came to visit us on his motorcycle.

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Then another cop

came up and immediately

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started beating my boyfriend.

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I tried saying something,

like "What are you

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doing?". I had just

come out of the shop.

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I did not resist at all. All

I heard was laughter. It

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was obvious they were doing

it with a perverse enjoyment.

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I was completely

in shock. I did not

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understand how it could

be that someone just

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standing in front

of a store is just

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being beaten without

us saying anything.

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We were woken up

at 3 a.m. by screams

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of people beaten

up on the streets.

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The kind of screams that you

realise, they're killing that person.

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These are the kinds

of screams by a

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person who thinks

they are going to die.

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Roman Reutovich has

had enough and is packing

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his things. He has

decided to leave Belarus.

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There are no tickets for

tomorrow. Only for today.

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I think it's the last train.

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Olga is staying.

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Today we are also

planning a flash

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mob. It will be in the evening…

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I would rather not tell about

it, because we are all scared.

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This evening I will probably be at the flesh mob.

- I'm leaving this evening.

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No tickets for tomorrow.

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- Today?

- Today at 10 p.m.

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Means you have to.

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- Will you help me get ready?

- Of course.

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Different stuff, many creatives. Here are

congratulations from Natalia Leshchik,

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probably her drawing. Congratulations

late. Candy was sent, Kiev cake was sent.

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Nina Baginskaja has been a

political activist since 1988 and

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has been involved in hundreds

of protests against Lukashenko

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I'm 73 now, at the end

of the year it will be 74.

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If you don't leave,

you will be arrested.

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Nina has been sentenced to lots of

fines, which she in principle refuses

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to pay. And that’s why authorities

pay half of her pension every month

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Part of the reason I'm going out for demos

because I’m protecting my pension too.

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After all, it's not them

who gave me a pension,

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and they don't have a

right to take it from me.

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As a child of the Soviet Union,

she has instilled

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in generations the fear

of the security apparatus.

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I learned from an early age, I

heard my parents standing by the

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window and saying: "Well, you

see, again they came for someone."

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But the fear - age has taught

her to defy it, she explains.

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When you are old as me, I'll tell you honestly

- when you get old you will not be afraid.

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I certainly did not

want to be beaten,

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but I did not get

caught so badly.

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Maybe because I'm small,

they were afraid to hit me hard.

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"Hit this small one hard,

and she might die".

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We will now dream

only of a happy life!

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Rock musician Yuri is on his way

to court, where he will be met by

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both local journalists and people

who have turned up to support him.

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- Hey. What are you doing here?

- To support you.

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Really? Spare a helmet?

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The clock passes

10 and the otherwise

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punctual justice system does not

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summon him - and

neither Yuri nor his

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lawyer understand

what is going on

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Maybe they have

decided not to punish me?

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I can not say

anything at all. I can

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only apologise that

there is no case.

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Maybe something

will come tomorrow....

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Thank God, then,

we're off then. Is this a joke?

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I don't think so.

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I am in a state of waiting, I

don't know how to plan my life.

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I did everything I could.

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There are thousands

of cases like Yuri's

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- accusations of

participation in illegal

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assemblies - but right

now it seems he is

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going free - both

from prison and fines

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Let's stay in touch.

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Of course, if they call me,

I'll let you know.

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I'll call you in the weekend

and we'll get drunks.

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Singer Olga is on her way to one

of Minsk's big shopping malls

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There just inside we

will perform a few pieces -

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and I will try to cover

myself to - be incognito

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We'll go up on the 2nd

floor and walk around

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a bit as if we arejust

walking around.

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Olga stays in the

background - and

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just as the clock strikes five,

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a male choir singer strikes the

chord - and the choir tunes in.

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They have been doing this

for more than a week now -

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in the subway, at train stations - and

shopping malls - the same song every time.

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The song is about the old days…

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about the knights

of the Lithuainian

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duchy, who came to protect

their homeland and their land.

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That's why the song

inspires people today.

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The authorities also

play classical music - but

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this is to drown out

the protesters' slogans.

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Distorted, Soviet songs

come out of loudspeakers in

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public buildings and even

though the police and military

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have taken up positions in

all the major squares in Minsk

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- they do not succeed in

scaring people to stay at home

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Pensioner Nina Baginskaja and

her flag are also on the march.

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Over here - I

have a lot of gifts

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on the piano here,

but I emphasize

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that I'm not fighting for gifts,

but

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for our idea to

be a free country.

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I'll put my stick

here so that my

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great-grandson

does not accidentally

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break it. The fish

stick I had were

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taken away by the police,

unfortunately.

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Today the police did

not beat as usual, but

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they still said that

some were imprisoned,

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but without mass arrests. Well,

their tactic

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was to chase us,

but we chased them also.

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Nina has been trotting

around the capital for

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many hours,

but sits down to sew more flags.

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I do not like math, so I

do not count flags. After all,

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since 1988, when I met

these flags and began to sew, I

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sew them, and they (police)

take them away. But I continue

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to sew, not only to myself,

but also to my friends.

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Lukashenko banned

the red / white flag when

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he came to power in

1994. He wanted the Soviet

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red / green back -

and thus the old flag

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became a strong symbol

of opposition to him.

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I'll listen to who's calling -

maybe kids, maybe friends.

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Yes? I'm home. Come in.

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It's late evening already, and

Nina is getting her things ready

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Because of course she's going to

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be on the streets

again tomorrow.

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I try, every day,

yes. What else can

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I do? The youth

said "every day".

PART 2

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Aunt Julia is coming soon

and Dad is right nearby.

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Why Dad?

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I'm afraid.

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Three weeks ago,

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Anastasia Zavalej had never

been to a demonstration,

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But she is already a veteran of

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Belarus's newly created

women's movement

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and is on her way

to another protest.

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Her 9-year-old daughter

Milana, however,

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she does not dare to take.

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Everyone should keep a track

of what's going on right now.

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People will hold one saying they have

nothing to eat, to drink

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I wrote that they

pointed a weapon at me

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because that's what happened.

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Really? Why didn't you say that?

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When police arrested

and beat protesters

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for three days in a

row after the election,

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Anastasia and a few hundred

other women took to the streets

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in silent protest against

the regime's violence

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and a few hours

later they stood in their

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thousands on the capital's

roads with their flowers.

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What else can we do -

keep quiet? sit at home?

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We have done that for 26 years and

have allowed the murder of our people.

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And we decided that

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we want independence,

honest elections,

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we do not ask for much.

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We agree to live here,

work, raise our children,

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but not like this,

not to live in fear.

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Peaceful protests

are all we can do.

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Are you ready? Telephone?

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Anastasia is scared

every single day

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but she is also furious

at how the regime

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portrays the entire

protest movement

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The amount of lying is huge.

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The older generations

believe what they see on TV

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and they do not want a Maidan.

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But there is no Maidan -

we demonstrate with flowers.

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Enough.

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Last night, after the

polls were closed,

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despite the authorities'

warnings to behave properly,

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there was trouble

in many cities…

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The security forces

sent us a press release

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with their views on

what had happened.

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Sergei Kozlovich

has been a studio host

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on state television for a year,

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and it was he who hosted

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the morning show

after election night,

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when the authorities

had turned off the Internet.

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On the 9th of August there was a

presidential election in Belarus

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We had very high

ratings on the shows

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because it was the day

after the elections, no Internet,

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the only place

they get information is the TV.

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The illegal behavior and

provocation of the police,

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which led to the

clashes were organized

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by a group of

aggressive young people.

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Many of the arrested

suspects were drunk.

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In fact, the police

fired stun grenades

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directly into the crowd

and beat up the detainees.

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There came my moral crisis.

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At that moment,

00:03:38,836 --> 00:03:44,703

my conscience could take no

more and I could not continue.

00:03:45,158 --> 00:03:46,838

He quit his dream job

00:03:46,931 --> 00:03:50,329

and today has to pick up

his things from the TV station,

00:03:50,353 --> 00:03:52,237

which the opposition calls

a propaganda channel.

00:03:52,286 --> 00:03:58,094

Up there is the studio.

00:03:58,135 --> 00:04:01,018

So you do not feel responsible?

00:04:01,229 --> 00:04:06,416

Responsible? I'm embarrassed

about the very last broadcast.

00:04:06,464 --> 00:04:09,044

For me it was the

best way out to leave

00:04:09,068 --> 00:04:11,026

the position and

today I am fine with it.

00:04:20,935 --> 00:04:22,742

I do not like to be

alone when you film me

00:04:22,767 --> 00:04:24,320

it attracts too much attention.

00:04:26,219 --> 00:04:28,619

Okay, we're meeting

at the fountain.

00:04:35,922 --> 00:04:37,797

Tell me, where should we meet?

00:04:37,822 --> 00:04:40,031

Right up here by the fountain.

00:04:41,435 --> 00:04:44,699

Anastasia is terribly

nervous about being arrested.

00:04:44,748 --> 00:04:47,130

But as hundreds

of flower-bearing

00:04:47,232 --> 00:04:48,615

women fill the space,

00:04:48,654 --> 00:04:50,505

she finds security in the group.

00:04:51,255 --> 00:04:52,738

Love overcomes fear!

00:04:52,895 --> 00:04:56,209

I'm proud that you were

here on the first day.

00:04:56,234 --> 00:04:57,822

the very first demo here…

00:04:57,847 --> 00:04:59,469

Well done, you inspired us.

00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,215

We didn't expect that all of

Minsk would turn out in the evening!

00:05:08,149 --> 00:05:12,457

A KGB agent films the women,

00:05:12,613 --> 00:05:16,453

but a man stands to block him.

00:05:17,433 --> 00:05:22,225

They're filming us - we're

clearly on record somewhere.

00:05:22,250 --> 00:05:23,639

Of course we are scared.

00:05:23,664 --> 00:05:24,707

We never know how and when

00:05:24,831 --> 00:05:28,089

as the teacher

who was just taken.

00:05:28,681 --> 00:05:31,329

It's scary - of

course we're scared.

00:05:33,262 --> 00:05:34,622

While many of the women are

00:05:34,646 --> 00:05:36,488

marching towards

the city centre,

00:05:36,513 --> 00:05:39,269

Anastasia and a group of

others are trying to capture

00:05:39,294 --> 00:05:41,172

the attention of

the citizens who

00:05:41,196 --> 00:05:43,063

still do not know

what is going on.

00:05:43,246 --> 00:05:47,754

The older generation, who watch the TV,

is misinformed

00:05:48,074 --> 00:05:52,158

- and more aggressive

towards young people.

00:05:52,518 --> 00:05:55,025

In a square of 4 x 6 meters -

00:05:55,119 --> 00:05:58,478

the dimensions of a

standard cell in the prison

100

00:05:58,510 --> 00:06:00,024

they each stand up with their

101

00:06:00,049 --> 00:06:01,985

example of the

authorities' violence

102

00:06:02,352 --> 00:06:05,696

They beat me unconscious

and kept beating,

103

00:06:05,907 --> 00:06:07,453

They said they would kill me.

104

00:06:07,657 --> 00:06:10,688

And Anastasias: They

pointed weapons at me.

105

00:06:12,125 --> 00:06:13,565

At the same time,

106

00:06:13,610 --> 00:06:15,508

testimony from detainees

plays on the speakers.

107

00:06:15,992 --> 00:06:19,640

Every night we could hear

them coming in with new people.

108

00:06:19,677 --> 00:06:24,239

We could hear them beating men in the cell

next door, making them sing the anthem.

109

00:06:30,170 --> 00:06:31,997

At the opposite end of town,

110

00:06:32,052 --> 00:06:35,252

Irina Salnikova is waiting

for her hospital visit.

111

00:06:37,537 --> 00:06:40,739

She knows very well what has

happened on the streets of Minsk

112

00:06:40,834 --> 00:06:42,653

because her son is

one of the thousands

113

00:06:42,678 --> 00:06:44,161

that the police arrested.

114

00:06:44,412 --> 00:06:46,829

My son is alive

115

00:06:47,168 --> 00:06:51,205

– he was injured -

116

00:06:51,939 --> 00:06:55,955

but he is recovering -

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00:06:57,844 --> 00:07:01,487

and it is much better.

118

00:07:02,494 --> 00:07:05,348

He can actually

walk himself now.

119

00:07:06,884 --> 00:07:09,666

Every day, Irina and

her granddaughter, Daria,

120

00:07:09,691 --> 00:07:10,781

visit Maksim,

121

00:07:10,901 --> 00:07:13,408

who was in intensive

care for the first five days

122

00:07:13,446 --> 00:07:15,112

after the meeting

with the police.

123

00:07:17,425 --> 00:07:22,299

They arrested him over

there at the last entrance,

124

00:07:23,401 --> 00:07:27,690

he bought cigarettes

and came out of the store

125

00:07:27,715 --> 00:07:31,674

and then they arrested

him in front of the house.

126

00:07:35,713 --> 00:07:37,135

On Tuesday night,

127

00:07:37,190 --> 00:07:39,260

the army's special

forces were sent

128

00:07:39,314 --> 00:07:40,807

to the district of Serebryanka.

129

00:07:44,580 --> 00:07:46,743

Maksim suffered two

lacerations in his liver,

130

00:07:46,768 --> 00:07:48,702

broken ribs and a concussion.

131

00:07:50,026 --> 00:07:52,447

But Irina thinks her

son has been lucky,

132

00:07:52,643 --> 00:07:56,355

after seeing so many of the

other victims of police violence.

133

00:07:56,471 --> 00:07:58,197

In the emergency room,

134

00:07:58,222 --> 00:07:59,838

I saw so many with

more serious traumas.

135

00:07:59,863 --> 00:08:04,323

Men who will be

disabled for life.

136

00:08:05,362 --> 00:08:07,823

They are not human.

137

00:08:08,047 --> 00:08:09,852

They beat a pregnant

woman in the stomach.

138

00:08:09,877 --> 00:08:11,345

They beat girls and said

139

00:08:11,370 --> 00:08:12,672

people like them

shouldn't have children.

140

00:08:13,611 --> 00:08:14,953

I talked to his mother.

141

00:08:14,978 --> 00:08:17,010

They grabbed him by

his hair, forced a stick

142

00:08:17,035 --> 00:08:18,649

into the throat of a

15-year-old boy, and forced

143

00:08:18,674 --> 00:08:20,284

him to sing the

Belarusian national anthem.

144

00:08:28,724 --> 00:08:32,106

The family here usually

has no interest in politics

145

00:08:32,391 --> 00:08:36,433

but they are following

this situation closely,

146

00:08:36,637 --> 00:08:41,558

and Irina shows off the latest

regime-critical music video.

147

00:08:41,593 --> 00:08:43,659

My people are meeting your fire

148

00:08:43,780 --> 00:08:46,147

with flowers

149

00:08:48,538 --> 00:08:54,311

They wrote a song and made a music

video about all the events.

150

00:08:55,077 --> 00:08:56,757

and will never come back

151

00:08:57,233 --> 00:09:01,405

The whitest flower

152

00:09:01,843 --> 00:09:03,616

is lying in the reddest blood

153

00:09:04,843 --> 00:09:09,123

Petals of this white flower

154

00:09:09,368 --> 00:09:11,579

won't see freedom

155

00:09:26,889 --> 00:09:28,356

Like the Hunger Games.

156

00:09:29,496 --> 00:09:33,723

In just a few days, journalist Sergej

has gone from being a news host to an

157

00:09:33,748 --> 00:09:37,863

active opponent of the system he was

the mouthpiece of just two weeks ago.

158

00:09:38,182 --> 00:09:40,182

Resign! Resign!

159

00:09:41,336 --> 00:09:47,035

We came here to support the people,

and to express our position by coming out.

160

00:09:47,232 --> 00:09:51,280

and I'm continuing,

hoping to, for me it's a

161

00:09:51,305 --> 00:09:55,712

platform, and a way to

continue to my profession.

162

00:09:59,215 --> 00:10:01,756

Now he makes a video

blog from the demonstrations.

163

00:10:01,781 --> 00:10:04,336

Good day. Can I talk to you?

164

00:10:04,708 --> 00:10:08,653

He goes after interviews with his

former core audience - the older part

165

00:10:08,678 --> 00:10:12,732

of the population, who otherwise

only get information from state channels.

166

00:10:12,883 --> 00:10:14,294

Stalin did not die!

167

00:10:16,115 --> 00:10:23,547

Remember Osip Mandelstam's poem.

168

00:10:25,118 --> 00:10:32,714

We love under orders, without

feeling the country, do you understand?

169

00:10:36,523 --> 00:10:41,680

Give power back to the people.

170

00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:46,918

I don't know, a leader will come if

you stop extermenating your people.

171

00:10:47,206 --> 00:10:50,106

While we are united,

we are unbeatable!

172

00:10:50,239 --> 00:10:57,369

Here, what I can do, is give voice to

those I could not when I was working on TV.

173

00:11:05,179 --> 00:11:08,517

Do you have any other

requests, add a little bit of

174

00:11:08,542 --> 00:11:11,750

color but without the

brightness, so it's natural.

175

00:11:13,583 --> 00:11:20,186

It's Sunday and the big demo day,

but Anastasia has to finish work first.

176

00:11:20,211 --> 00:11:21,344

Don't be afraid.

177

00:11:21,642 --> 00:11:27,572

O.K., have a look, we have some granules,

some white spots, we'll cover them.

178

00:11:29,047 --> 00:11:32,669

Everyone is in shock. They say,

how, how, everything is forbidden.

179

00:11:32,694 --> 00:11:36,099

I have such a feeling that it

will soon be forbidden to breathe.

180

00:11:36,772 --> 00:11:45,910

I'm extremely proud of my people. That they

encounter aggression with non aggression.

181

00:11:47,552 --> 00:11:52,153

President Lukashenko threatened

over the weekend that the police will crack

182

00:11:52,178 --> 00:11:57,021

down hard the protesters - so Anastasia

fears that people will be afraid to come

183

00:11:57,565 --> 00:12:00,778

It will be punished in the

most severe way possible.

184

00:12:00,977 --> 00:12:04,432

I just said, Saturday

and Sunday are for them

185

00:12:04,472 --> 00:12:07,776

to think. From Monday

- they can't blame us.

186

00:12:07,801 --> 00:12:10,534

The government has

to be the government.

187

00:12:14,112 --> 00:12:18,117

She hurries to finish so she can set course

for the center, which looks like this.

188

00:12:25,695 --> 00:12:28,939

I'm so happy - it's amazing

189

00:12:29,132 --> 00:12:37,300

Because it's so many people and they

are all happy and content and free at last.

190

00:12:40,006 --> 00:12:41,406

Sasha, you are fired!

191

00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:44,120

Sasha, you are fired!

192

00:12:50,702 --> 00:12:52,168

I'll go to the shops.

193

00:12:52,283 --> 00:12:53,549

Maybe I should go?

194

00:12:54,297 --> 00:13:00,030

The Serebjanka family has a low profile.

Nobody is going to the demonstration here.

195

00:13:02,395 --> 00:13:04,447

Maksim has been allowed

to go home from the

196

00:13:04,472 --> 00:13:06,803

hospital for a few hours

and be with his daughter.

197

00:13:07,010 --> 00:13:08,010

Kitten!

198

00:13:09,042 --> 00:13:11,909

12 days in the hospital

with other injured

199

00:13:11,934 --> 00:13:15,000

people has not exactly

left filled him with optimism.

200

00:13:17,683 --> 00:13:19,669

I don't think they'll stop at this.

201

00:13:19,694 --> 00:13:22,627

The crowd will protest for a couple months.

202

00:13:23,018 --> 00:13:25,484

A couple more people will disappear.

203

00:13:25,509 --> 00:13:29,430

Someone will get fired

from their job without right of return.

204

00:13:30,582 --> 00:13:31,582

How's that?

205

00:13:32,166 --> 00:13:35,769

You won't be able to get a job there

again. You'll have to find new work.

206

00:13:36,098 --> 00:13:41,698

He has no desire to take part in the protests

- and is sure that the future is bleak.

207

00:13:42,987 --> 00:13:45,787

Nothing good will come

if he stays in power.

208

00:13:48,070 --> 00:13:51,211

Chaos. I believe.

209

00:14:00,535 --> 00:14:03,103

But in the center of Minsk

there is celebration and victory.

210

00:14:10,409 --> 00:14:14,825

The column of protesters moves to the place

where people also met on election night.

211

00:14:14,850 --> 00:14:18,536

Do you see on the right side, the green

ones, near the trees? That's all army.

212

00:14:20,188 --> 00:14:23,025

Here the army has taken

up position, and Anastasia

213

00:14:23,050 --> 00:14:25,663

and her friends do not

enjoy getting too close.

214

00:14:26,118 --> 00:14:28,922

What's the plan of retreat in case?

215

00:14:31,431 --> 00:14:34,450

- To that hill

- Where?

216

00:14:38,616 --> 00:14:41,855

There is still a deep fear

in many of the protesters

217

00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,483

that the police will

behave as they did in

218

00:14:44,508 --> 00:14:47,532

the days after the

election - but the urge to air

219

00:14:47,557 --> 00:14:50,398

their dissatisfaction

overshadows the anxiety.

220

00:14:55,590 --> 00:14:59,561

The journalist Sergej also keeps

his distance from the uniforms, but

221

00:14:59,586 --> 00:15:03,614

believes that more will join the

protest movement in the coming weeks.

222

00:15:03,639 --> 00:15:07,372

I think they come on the street

too and see what happens.

223

00:15:09,667 --> 00:15:12,897

We will keep going till the end.

224

00:15:13,187 --> 00:15:16,587

- What does that mean, to the end?

- To the end?

225

00:15:17,155 --> 00:15:20,803

Until the resignation. Until the

change in power. Until victory.

226

00:15:20,952 --> 00:15:22,486

Is that in five years?

227

00:15:23,722 --> 00:15:26,055

Well, we hope it'll happen sooner.

228

00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:35,577

Hey, la la la la la - do not march any

longer - there will be no surprises.

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Film: Belarus Behind Closed Doors

http://www.journeyman.tv/film/7912

Transcript