Yury Khashchavatski: Everything dangerous for fools and louts

Going to the toilet will soon be possible only with permission of ideologists.

Film director Yury Khashchavatski spoke to charter97.org about Lukashenka's decree on banning cultural events and shows without permission of ideologists.

“It resembles me an episode from the novel The Twelve Chairs, where main characters were collecting money for the Proval Cave so 'it wouldn't fall down'. The aim of the Belarusian authorities is to gain total control over society. We will soon be able to go to the toilet only with permission and under surveillance of cameras. They think everyone is a source of danger if his or her taste differs from their kolkhoz likes,” the director is confident.

He underlines no civilized countries have similar rules.

“There is North Korea. Kim Jong-un recently invited celebrities there. With such an economy, with such a level of professional skills of the government, with such an ignorant and loutish way of public administration, everything can be dangerous for the authorities. They need to suppress everything on a large scale. How can they do it? Only by employing the same fools as they are. They dismissed professionals even from security services,” Yury Khashchavatski thinks.

The Belarusian ruler signed yesterday a decree obliging concert managers to obtain a certificate to have the right to hold a concert in Belarus (a concert certificate) in the department for ideology, culture and youth in the relative regional executive committee or in the Minsk city executive committee.

Certificates for concerts with participation of foreign artists will be given after paying a state duty to the special fund of Lukashenka. Certificates for concerts of Belarusian artists will be free of charge.