Andrzej Wajda: Only organisation with several thousand army can make dictators listen (Video)

The world-acclaimed Polish director showed his support to the Belarusian political prisoners.

Andrzej Wajda visited the headquarters of the website charter97.org in Warsaw and met with the former political prisoners – leader of the civil campaign European Belarus Andrei Sannikov, editor-in-chief of charter97.org Natallia Radzina, Zmitser Bandarenka, Aliaksandr Atroshchankau, Uladzimir Kobets, Yauhen Afnahel and Belarusian students.

The meeting lasted more than two hours. Andrzej Wajda recalled how he had made his famous films and spoke about life in Communist Poland and the struggle for freedom.

Belarusians told the director about their experience and confinement conditions for the Belarusian prisoners of conscience.

The director shared his view about the situation in Belarus and wished the soonest release to the Belarusian political prisoners:

“What would I like to say to political prisoners? First of all, I'd like to wish them to be freed as soon as possible. I wish some actions would happen (I don't know which exactly, if I knew, I would take part in them) besides to what you, the opposition and migrants, are doing. How can one influence the situation in Belarus? We, in Poland, have never had such a situation. Or, maybe, the rule of Gomulka, who acted like a dictator, but it was a completely different matter. It became easier later.

If it were an international organisation with leverage that one could apply to... You know, this organisation should have the several thousand army to make everyone listen to it. A similar situation was when America helped to solve our problem, but the US has its own problems now. France has its own problems. Radical right-wing movements appear everywhere. It's difficult to find a common language.

On the other hand, a lot of our opposition members, both men and women, were imprisoned. They were thrown into jail several times, but the situation was different, the political configuration was constantly changing. The Polish government didn't want to hold opposition members in prison demonstratively, so political prisoners were released from time to time. Unfortunately, I cannot answer the question how to help them [the political prisoners].”

Andrzej Wajda added he used every opportunity to talk about the release of Belarus from the dictatorship and expressed his support to the Belarusian prisoners of conscience. He believes Belarus will become free.

Andrzej Wajda is a prominent Polish director. He shot such films as Kanal, Ashes and Diamonds, Everything for Sale, Pilate and Others, Man of Marble, Man of Iron, Without Anesthesia, The Maids of Wilko, Danton, The Possessed, Pan Tadeusz, Katyn, Walesa. Man of Hope and others.

More information about the meeting with Andrzej Waida will be available on the website later.