A presentation of the book about abductions of famous people in Belarus “We Remember” has been held in Minsk on November 16.

The illustrated book with 468 pages in Belarusian, Russian and English includes 24 confessions-memoirs of relatives, friends and colleagues about Henadz Karpenka, Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and Dzmitry Zavadski. The book has been compiled by screenwriter Uladzimir Khalip.

The book’s idea emerged several years ago, and it was published with the support of Anatol Krasouski’s widow Iryna and Dzmitry Zavadski’s widow Svyatlana, as well as “We Remember” foundation and the Belarus Free Theatre.

Iryna Krasouskaya expressed gratitude to creators of the book and to those who had been by the side of the families of the disappeared, “who remain the same as we remember them.”

“This book includes 24 stories. They are confessions of wives, children, and family members of the disappeared. I want to thank so much to those who had been by our side for all these long hard years, who had been cherishing and still cherish the memory of our loved ones. 11 years is a long term. The world is changing, we are changing. Only those who are not with us any more do not change: Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski, Dzmitry Zavadski, Yury Zakharanka, Henadz Karpenka. They remain the same as we knew them 11 years ago. We remember them and we will always love them,” Iryna Krasouskaya said.

“This evil deed has not been punished yet, and criminals are treading the globe and shaking people by the hands. But this will end someday. We should not get accustomed to our native land, our treasured country Belarus’ becoming an anomaly of Europe. People abroad are looking at that with contempt, or with the words: “What could be done, such things happen…” But such things should not happen anywhere! And such things must not happen in Europe particularly. Europe had gone through lots of hardships; it has come through two big wars, it has paid a high price for what it has today. And moral values of this civilization should not be trampled down. We have courage and will for resistance, and Belarus will be a free county. Otherwise, what for Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and Dzmitry Zavadski have sacrificed their lives? All sacrifices, all the things we have come through, everything had its meaning. Belarus lived, Belarus lives and Belarus will live free and independent,” Uladzimir Khalip is convinced.

Addressing the audience, the head of the Belarus Free Theatre Natalya Kolyada stressed:

“This book has happened to be presented two times already, in Oslo and in New York. A tragic coincidence took place. On the day when we received the print run of the book, the funeral of Aleh Byabenin took place. This book should have included our memories about Aleh too. It is often said in Europe – people are not killed in the streets in your country. When people are killed, sanctions would be imposed then. The heroic women, Iryna Krasouskaya, Volha Zavadskaya, Svyatlana Zavadskaya, Zinaida Hanchar, Liudmila Karpenka, Volha Zakharanka, and a great number of people who went out to the streets, they have done everything possible to prevent that in Belarus, for these murders not top reach mad figures. And the main thing we all must do is not to turn into simply numbers those people, who have been murdered, for them to remain persons who have families, children, parents. Let them stay our dear people, not numbers.”

During the presentation of “We Remember” book a presidential candidate in Belarus, the leader of “European Belarus: campaign Andrei Sannikov has made a statement:

“Today we have not simply a presentation of a book; it is a presentation of our history, of the life stories of those people who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom. I knew them personally, and they were beautiful, courageous people, who suffered for us to live a better life, for us to live in a free country. We must make a profound bow to families and loves ones of these people, as they continue this struggle, to go the path which Anatol Krasouski, Viktar Hanchar, Henadz Karpenka, Dzmitry Zavadski¸ Yury Zakharanka were going. I saw how Uladzimir Khalip was working on this book. It was a hard labour, he really fell ill when he was writing this book. He fell ill not from exhaustion, from lots of work, but as it was very difficult emotionally and psychologically. And it is really a cruel coincidence that the book was issued on the day of Aleh Byabenin’s funeral. The time has come to break this chain of coincidences and tragedies. The time has come to decide the future of our country, for us to live free, and for criminals to be punished. Long live Belarus!”

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Photo: Yuliya Darashkevich