London to host exhibition of works by Belarusian political prisoners
An evening of art, cinema and activism entitled «Letters from Lukashenka’s Political Prisoners» will take place in London on August 5. The event is organized by Index on Censorship, an organization that campaigns for freedom of expression. The organizers will hold an exhibition of works by Belarusian political prisoners and screen the film «The Accidental President» about Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
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Poster of the exhibition in London
The action is dedicated to the fateful events of 2020 in Belarus, when Lukashenka violently suppressed mass protests to stay in power. The large-scale and brutal repressions have been going on for four years, more than 1400 political prisoners are in Belarusian prisons (the Coordinating Council gives a completely different number of prisoners — more than 5000), but there is no end to the political crisis.
The title of the exhibition «Letters from Lukashenka’s Political Prisoners» speaks for itself: these are artistic messages from behind bars, because sometimes this is the only way to keep in touch with freedom. Ordinary Belarusians, imprisoned only for daring to challenge or simply criticize Lukashenka’s regime, often send drawings and poems in their letters, which were eventually included in the exhibition.
The exhibition was conceived and curated by Martha Hegarty on behalf of Index on Censorship. It is based on the project «Letters from Lukashenka’s Prisoners,» which Index on Censorship conducted in 2021–2023 in collaboration with Belarus Free Theatre, Human Rights House Foundation, and the Politzek.me platform.
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Portraits of Belarusian political prisoners at an exhibition in Warsaw in May 2024, photo: BAJ
During the action Roast Beef Productions will show the film «The Accidental President» about Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. No one thought that the young housewife, mother of two children, would take the political baton from her husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who was arrested three months before the 2020 elections.
It was Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who won the presidential campaign and became the symbol of the 2020 protests by the thousands. Despite the KGB-led regime’s special operation to drive women out of the country, Tsikhanouskaya is still accepted in the West as an elected president – a president who won the election.
After the film, the organizers will host a panel discussion to discuss both the film and the situation in Belarus.
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