Svetlana Alexievich: Revolutionary methods won’t work with Belarus authorities

Belarusian writer and Nobel Prize laureate Svetlana Alexievich has commented on the recent events (Freedom Day and detentions) for Euroradio. “How can one look for a compromise with those who detain oustanding Belarusian rock musicians and take them to the police station?” Euroradio asked Alexievich. Famous musicians Lyavon Volski, Zmitser Vaitsyushkevich, Ihar Varashkevich and Pavel Arakelyan were among the people detained by the police in Minsk on March 25. They were released a few hours later.

"It is only part of our life,” Svetlana Alexievich said. “Life is much more than this. A compromise is the possibility to preserve yourself for the future, I believe. This is something that I think is essential now. What is the point of breaking yourself now?! And we know that our authorities can easily break people… That is why I think that it is essential that people preserve themselves and understand that it also requires a lot of work and that it is also a resistance formula.”  

Euroradio has also asked the writer’s opinion about this year’s compromise – the organizers of the Freedom Day celebration agreed to conduct the action in Hrodna and in Kievski Public Garden in Minsk. No unauthorized actions were held in the centre in Minsk.

"I think that it was necessary to find ways…,” Alexievich said. “Hundreds of people could hear them. This is the most important thing. I think that it is necessary to understand that revolutionary methods won’t work with our authorities. One has to find some other ways.”