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INTERVIEW. Maksim Vinyarski: "There Should Be a Spark in a Person"

INTERVIEW. Maksim Vinyarski: "There Should Be a Spark in a Person"
Maksim Vinyarski

How to take a stand during desperate times, to defend the freedom, and not to fail as human being?

Charter97.org decided to ask a famous Belarusian freedom fighter, coordinator of the European Belarus campaign, Maksim Vinyarski, about it.

Today Maksim Vinyarski is in the lead among those who served administrative arrests (by serving 10-15 days of arrests, as a result, he spent more than a year in prison over the last 10 years).

- Maksim, you often find yourself behind bars because of your political activity. And you almost always have huge bags with books when you are put in prison. I know you read a lot. Did these books have any impact on you?

- In fact, I have been constantly reading something. Persaps, it is caused by the fact that my mother is the teacher of Russian language and literature. And it has had a great impact on me. "I read good books when I was a child, Vysotsky sang.

In addition, our family always celebrated religious holidays - Christmas, Easter. These are the brightest memories of my childhood. It was the first time when I got it clear that something was wrong with the society. It was the time when we were told at school that religious holidays were not allowed celebrating, they opposed pillar of the society. Thus, since childhood I have witnessed coercion to double-think. It was the one that might have the maximum influence on my perceptions of the reality.

When I was young I started reading serious books. My family always had rare books.

Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg was the first book of this kind. This book is memoirs of her life and imprisonment in the Soviet Union during the rule of Joseph Stalin. It seemed like it would never happen again.

Later the Soviet Union collapsed, the independence of Belarus was restored. TV screens broadcast meetings of the Supreme Council, historic symbols revived, independent newspapers came out in the thousands. All indications were that terrors also described in the Journey into the Whirlwind would never reoccur, no return to the dark past was possible.

- Eugenia Ginzburg later called that feeling of freedom an "illusion". And how did you come up with the same thing?

- The referendum of 1995 and the return of the Soviet symbols was the turning point. However, even after that a white-red-white flag and the coat of arms "Pahonia" were allowed for a while, and no pressure was put on people for it. Many people wore badges. There was the feeling that the referendum was some kind of misunderstanding and everything would be back to places.

And right after the dispersal of the Supreme Council I could get that the country took the wrong path. Once Jean-Paul Sartre said "Every word has consequences. Every silence, too". It's actually true.

- Do you remember your first time when you spoke out?

- You know, my mother was the teacher at school I studied. On the one hand, I could not afford any disruptive behavior. On the other hand, once I understood that I had much more power to defend my position and to stand up for some classmates. And I took advantage of it.

- And how was it after the completion of secondary school?

- Right after it I became involved in resistance movement. I and my friends from the Journalist club distributed independent press and leaflets informing about opposition actions.

- You've mentioned the Journalist club. Had it anything in common with your plans for future?

- Well, I was just interested in it. At that time, journalism probably was the best option to fight for freedom and to speak out. The media of those times made freedom of information, freedom of speech, freedom to give assessment to everything a priority. Unfortunately, today many of them engage in self-censorship.

- Now you're known as freedom fighter. Do you remember your first action you took part in?

- Yes, of course. I remember my first action and first arrest. It was the March of Freedom on 17 October 1999. I just got my passport. When clashes with the police began on Ulyanavskaya Street, I was among those who held a huge white-red-white flag. At some point it became clear that the dispersal, a tough one, began.

- I know people who gave up right after the first arrest...

- I know even more people who started resisting even harder (he laughs). At least, I had a clear understanding that street actions were becoming the best instrument to change something in the country. Therefore, the following year I took part in all major demonstrations of protest.

- Did it bother your work?

- It did not for a long time. Then I used to work in a computor class at Belarusian State Technological University. It is interesting that at that time many teachers openly supported the opposition. After a few years at work, my social activity caused problems at work, which now have actually turned into a ban to work.

- Let's turn to your public activity. You used to be one of leaders of Zubr movement in Minsk...

- I was familiar with many Zubr activists, we met on mass rallies. One of them was held on 21July 2004, the tenth anniversary of Lukashenka's reign. It was a vivid action organized by the Zubr movement. It was called "Welcome to the reality". As soon as it was over I met with Zmitser Bandarenka, Jauhen Afnahel, Paval Yukhnevich. We spent 10 days of arrest in prison on Akrestsina. We constantly told jokes, held lectures, shared experience, planned future events. I often forgot that I was behind bars.

I remember that Zmitser Bandarenka loudly knocked on the door and demanded guards to comply with the law and meet our demands when even a minor violation of our rights occurred. By the end of my arrest, guards were afraid to approach the door of the ward.

In prison I celebrated my birthday and Restoration of Independence Day of July 26.

In the autumn of 2004, the campaign "Say No to Lukashenka" was launched, it was mainly headed by Zubr.

-You took part in protest actions not only in Belarus. What were the highest points?

- I participated in some protest actions in Russia. The first was the March of Dissent in 2007, Moscow. Then it was followed by the protest against the re-election of Vladimir Putin held on 6 May, 2012, solidarity action with Pussy Riot.

Then it was the time of the Maidan in Kyiv. I visited it for the first time in the beginning of December 2013, later it was in January 2014. The first thing I noticed was the way people were organized. Anarchists, nationalists, adherents to different parties stood shoulder to shoulder. They had a common goal. I still remember the speech in frond of the crowd of many thousands. I heard many words of solidarity with Belarus and our political prisoners.

I had a feeling of common unity. Politicians had little hope in victory, as opposed to activists and ordinary people. I had the same feeling in 2001 and 2006, when "our" presidential candidates were not ready for the Square. But the situation changed in 2010, when our leaders were imprisoned.

- In 2015 you were among organizers who stepped up against the election rigging...

- I was not alone. Unlike previous Squares, the protest action after the so-called presidential elections of 2015 was a symbol. We had to show that not all Belarusians agreed to be deceived once again. In addition, it aimed not so much against the election rigging, but against the passive position of some politicians in Belarus during all five years after the Square-2010.

- Has the situation changed now?

- Yes. Protests of last spring showed that many people finally realized that they were the ones to make difference. Tens of thousands of people felt freedom, realized their power. After 2017 Belarus will never be the same.

- Now you serve as an example to follow. What would you like to say to people?

- I wish them to remain a human, love and value a personal freedom, to take a stand and never give up. These are the things that may keep the spark alive.

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