People of honour

I am lucky with my friends. They are interesting to talk to; they are people you can learn from; they are the first to help. They are people of Honour.

This photo was taken on September 10, 2001, the day after the presidential elections. Having rigged the results, Lukashenka did not dare to organize “the night of the long knives” in the Palace of Trade Unions seized by young “zubrs”. But he dared in 2006 and 2011. It is sad that for the last fifteen years the Belarusian authorities have become a “litmus test” allowing you to understand what a person one really is. Judging on one’s attitude towards the dictatorship you can understand if he is honest or deceitful; brave or coward; strong in spirit or weak… Dictatorships have always escalated processes heightening them to culminating point. I have never been ashamed for my friends. They turned out to be people of Honour.

Aleh

Aleh is the second from the right in the snap. Almost every my morning used to begin with Internet links I received from Aleh Byabenin and Sasha Atroshchankau via Skype. Rarely these were the latest political materials, more often there were jokes on politics or events in Belarus and Russia. Aleh and Sasha have a sense of humour to be envied. Sometimes just one phrase from a comment to a picture kept me in good mood all day long.

I have always enviously admired Aleh’s courage. He seemed to be able to rush without a second thought in the midst of actions, where only a moment divided him from death or injuries. Years later I understood that his courage was based on an instant and sober assessment of the situation. Aleh foresaw risks and always knew and felt where danger comes from and how it can be neutralized.

When in February 1999 two scores of RNE (Russian National Unity) members were beating Andrei Sannikov in Minsk centre in the middle of the day, Aleh and Dzima Bandarenka showed courage and an unbelievable ability of assessing the situation and taking the right decision and managed to save Sannikov from eminent death.

I got acquainted with Aleh in 1995, when he came to editor’s office of “Imya” newspaper and said in a peremptory tone, “I can cope with any work”. It took is a little time to understand that these words by a 19-year-old student of Faculty of Journalism at the Belarusian State University were true. Aleh jumped over several steps in career growth and soon became an editor of the news section. It was real pleasure to work with him over journalistic investigations, however difficult they were. He was great at gathering information. He could set himself for the right trace by using a wide network of insiders in different agencies, from the Ministry of Statistics to a criminal investigation department, that he created in no time.

Aleh was killed in early September 2010, ahead of the presidential elections. Now, when most of members of Sannikov’s team are in prisons or in forced emigration because they are involved in the criminal case of December 19, it has become even more evident. The main version worked out by Aleh’s friends, who carried out their own investigation, is that he had faced attempts to recruit him, but when these people understood their efforts had no chances, they killed him.

The man, who created the most popular political and social website in the country, who headed all operating structure of a presidential candidate team, who was a brilliant effective manager, Aleh was, perhaps, the collective image of a Belarusian, whom the current authorities fear panically.

I recall Aleh, his jokes, his words, his actions, every day.

Dzima

It happened so that I found my best friends in 1995-1996, when I worked as a journalist. Dzima Bandarenka was a commercial director at Radio 101.2, later closed down by the authorities. A former successful sportsman, a trainer of psychology groups, he applied his incredible persistence to study marketing in the early 1990s. Reading one book after another and successfully converting the obtained knowledge into practice, Dzima became a great expert in this sphere. I remember that instead of looking for an answer to my question in Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotler, I phoned Dzima and got the right answer faster.

Marketing and advertizing were a reason for our acquaintance. It was the mid 1990ies and we didn’t know that our meeting and discussions would lead to launching big successful public and political projects, namely Marches for Freedom, Boycott 2000, actions of corporative solidarity of journalists, Jeans for Freedom.

Our first experience of “political creative collaboration” was a campaign to release Pavel Sheremet from prison. I remember that we created a risky slogan “Sheremet is future president!” and brought it to Yakub Kolas Square. Sheremet needed some years to reach the age of candidacy, But Lukashenka, as usual, did not let us down screaming on TV: “Sheremet will never be a president!” Lukashenka put himself on the same level with the journalist and the continuing campaign collided him with the Russian leadership that in the result put a logical period in this matter: Pavel was released.

Dzima is a convinced Catholic. He is a person, whose faith helped him to go through any difficulties he met in his life. I have always tried to be as persistent and firm as he is. I am learning from him now, when Dzima is in prison stoically taking his staying there aggravated by his incredibly difficult physical state, with the injured backbone and legs that are, in fact, refusing to move. The authorities are not only trying to physically destroy one of their main opponents, they are checking for strength his faith, his internal force and his spirit. I can only feel pity for the authorities because their efforts are vain and Dzima will be stronger. I can say this with absolute certainty because he is my friend for the last 15 years.

Once I was lucky to sit in prison with Dzima. I described these days in my play Generation Jeans. The play has been shown in two dozens of countries. I don’t remember a country where people did not ask about heroes of the play. The main question was “Do these people really exist?” I am happy that I can say about my friends: yes, these people really exist and they are real heroes of today’s Belarus.

Andrei

I had found diplomats dull and coward until 1996. When I met Andrei Sannikov, I understood I had had stereotypes. Sannikov is a person having a fantastic intellect, a great sense of humour, and an unbelievable gift of political prescience. A son of theatre historian Aleh Sannikov, who dedicated his life to Spanish language theatre; a grandson of Kanstantsin Sannikov, who was among founder of Belarusian theatre, Andrei brought up on such a solid foundation of decency and intelligence, that even theoretically he could not have been in one camp with the current country’s leaders.

In 1995, he believed then Foreign Minister Uladzimir Syanko and took his offer to hold a post of a deputy foreign minister. A career diplomat, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, he could stay afloat today serving for the authorities if his name were Martynau, not Sannikov. Andrei resigned just after the referendum in 1996 stating his disagreement with the policy of the country’s leadership in his resignation letter. He repeatedly denied all offers to work abroad: from working for large international institutions to offers to head big research centres.

I have an impression that Andrei has time for everything, though he never hurries. He managed to spend time with his son Danik, write an article, hold five meetings and dozens of telephone conversations, give

two or three interviews, and end the day with making a superb dinner. Ability of maximum concentration in any period of time is one of his striking features.

Andrei, as well as Dzima, is in prison now, separated from his beloved wife, adorable son, mother. I know that he can stand everything. Stand without pompous and loud words, without cries and depressions, without false heroism and a mask of a victim. He will stand it like a man, with calm and confidence. He will only be stronger after his release.

Fifteen years ago, Andrei told me about his friend Ellen Stewart, the founder of the famous Ney York-based La MaMma theatre. When the Belarus Free Theatre was founded, Andrei tried to organize a meeting between me and Ellen so that we could play on this legendary stage. Now, we are having our second for the last three months triumphant run on La MaMa’s main stage. Ellen died in January. Andrei doesn’t knot it yet.

Once I wrote to Dasha, the wife of Sasha Atroshchankau, “I wish I could share a prison cell with Sasha at least for one day to laugh our heads off.” Dasha told this Sasha, and he answered in a letter, “I also wish Kolya were here, and this is the only point I agree on with the KGB investigator.” I am lucky, I am not in jail. I can be with my family. But these guys cannot. They cannot go where they want, cannot visit a doctor, cannot hug their parents, cannot have dinner with their wives… There are many things they cannot do, but, unlike the authorities who can everything, they remain people of Honour. They remain the persons you want to think about, take them for a model and follow their example.

Sasha received four years in prison. Today trial against Dzima begins, tomorrow – against Andrei. They will be freed whatever terms of imprisonment the authorities will give them. They will be freed and leave cells for their executors. We will sit at the table, fill the glasses, recall Aleh, keep silent. And then we will decide what we will do next.

Mikalai Khalezin, kilgor-trautt