Protests for a democratic Belarus – driven by impressive women
Due to other wars and crises, it often fades into the background that the people in the EU neighboring country Belarus have been enduring a spiral of state terror, violence, and persecution for years, since they took to the streets in 2020 against the massive electoral fraud of the regime. Yet, the Belarusians refuse to be intimidated and advocate for democratic change in diverse and creative ways. The protests in Belarus are significantly driven by women as well. With our project ‘FemMoz – Empowerment for Women from Belarus,’ we empower these women. We have asked fifteen of these impressive women to share their stories with us on camera.
Interview with Tatsiana Hatsura-Yavorskaya
March 7, 2024
As the war started in Ukraine in February 2022, Tatsiana Hatsura-Yavorskaya left Belarus to join her family in Kyiv. While living there, she helps to build dialogue between the Belarusian diaspora and Ukrainians, which is vital due to the Lukashenka’s cooperation in Russia’s attack. Here Tatsiana is telling her story.
Interview with Iryna Kashtalian
March 7, 2024
As Lukashenka has been «rewriting» the true history of Belarus and «forbidding» horrors of soviet repressions for decades, in 2020 it became almost impossible for historians to continue their work inside the country. In the interview for FemMoz, Iryna Kashtalian shares the challenges of living in exile and how Belarusian specialists in history always have issues to explore.
Interview with Galina Kazimirouskaya
March 7, 2024
During hard times of the political crisis in Belarus 2020, Galina Kazimirouskayas creative work became a strong civil statement. And the regime of Lukashenka got scared of… songs, and Galina and her choir became victims of persecutions. Now she continues her artistic missions in exile in Poland, together with the «Free Choir» uniting Belarusians and reminding the importance on preserving one’s culture and cultural indentity, especially far from home. In this interview Galina reports on her experiences and her work.
Interview with Kseniya Halubovich
March 7, 2024
While leaving her homeland Belarus in February 2022, director and photographer Kseniya Halubovich knew that her departure was happening until democratic changes. More on her story in Kseniya’s interview for FemMoz.
Interview with Viktoryia Fiodarava
March 6, 2024
As an experienced human rights defender in Belarus, Viktoryia Fiodarava was behind the launch of the International Committee for Investigation of Torture in Belarus in August 2020. In her interview, Viktoryia shares her experience of political migration to Ukraine and then fleeing from the war in 2022, the challenges of building a new life in exile in Lithuania, and continuing her important work there for the democratic future of Belarus.
Interview with Sviatlana Ushchapouskaya
March 6, 2024
Sviatlana Ushchapouskaya has a big experience as a professional trade union representative, including with the independent trade union of miners in the largest Belarusian state company, Belaruskali. In her interview for FemMoz, Sviatlana shares her experience of standing up for basic rights of workers and how she had to flee Belarus because of her activism.
Interview with Darya Chultsova
March 6, 2024
Darya Chultsova, a journalist of the Belarusian free media outlet Belsat, became a symbol of resilience and dignity alongside her colleague Katsiaryna Andreyeva. In this video she shares her experiences of inhumane treatment and forced labor in Belarusian prisons, torture, lack of medical help – and how these terrors become a deep trauma for people.
Interview with Elvira Karaliova
March 5, 2024
Elvira Karaliova defines herself as a “committed citizen of her country”. While working in social entrepreneurship and leading a project for disabled people and youth, she found herself unable to continue her activities in 2020 – due to the civil and political crisis in Belarus. In her interview, Elvira Karaliova shares how much growth and creativity her social projects gathered in peaceful and free environment.
Interview with Volha Ivashyna
March 5, 2024
Volha Ivashyna has been civilly and politically active in Belarus for many years. In 2020, she assisted her husband Dzianis Ivashyn with his journalistic investigations into crimes of Lukashenka’s regime and the Russian Federation. Now in exile, Volha shares what it’s like – being a target of an undemocratic regime because of journalistic work.
Interview with Maria Grits
March 5, 2024
Just a year after becoming a mother, Maria Grits had to quickly return to her profession as a journalist in August 2020 because of the political and civil crisis in Belarus: “I can’t build barricades but I can put letters together”. In her interview, Maria Grits shares what she misses the most from her homeland and what’s the first she will do once she can return to Belarus.
Interview with Yauheniya Douhaya
March 5, 2024
Due to political persecution in Belarus by the regime, Yauheniya Douhaya had to move in Ukraine in 2020 and spend six months without her little daughter. Reunited in Kyiv, they had to flee once again – this time from the war. In this interview, the Belarusian journalist and activist shares her experiences.
Interview with Nasta Bazar
March 5, 2024
In 2020, after joining peaceful rallies in Minsk following the fraudulent presidential election, Nasta Bazar took her family for a weekend trip to Kyiv. As the regime in Belarus started harsher repressions, Nasta’s family vacation turned into exile.
Interview with Hanna Lobach
March 4, 2024
Hanna Lobach was persecuted by the regime in Belarus. Realizing she couldn’t protect herself and her two children, she left her comfortable life in Minsk and moved to Warsaw. Despite the numerous difficulties, Hanna believes that the most important thing is that her children can grow up in peace and freedom.
