“Free Theatre” searched at border: actor’s names blacklisted

The troupe of the “Free Teatre” faces rigorous search by Belarusian customs office twice over the last 24 hours.

As the head of the “Free Theatre” Nikolay Khalezin told to the Charter’97 press-centre, yesterday the troupe was returning to Minsk from a theatrical festival I Ireland. The actors were travelling from Vilnius. Customs officers meticulously searched all the things of the actors, and property of the theatre. The train was late for an hour because of that.

Today, when actors were travelling in a train to Vilnius, in order to fly to Sweden to a tour, they were searched again. The search lasted for at least an hour. Customs officers demanded to show even things of the theatre worker’s children.

“There is no return to civilization yet, though the regime declares that. We are still living in a country which remains under a total control. Even people of the theatre cannot feel undisturbed. It’s an attempt of psychological pressure. Customs officers and border guards have our names are on a special list. I see no logics in their actions. Theatres do not transport underground literature, even the “Free Theatre”. Such searches… they have never taken place before,” Nikolay Khalezin said.