Belarus - PEN AMERICA JOINS BELARUSIAN PEN CENTER IN PROTEST OF CONVICTION OF POET ULADZIMIR NIAKLIAEU

Belarus. Freedom of thought, conscience and expression

"On 1 November 2017, the famous Belarusian poet, recipient of international literary prizes, Honorary Chairman of the Belarusian PEN Center Uladzimir Niakliaeu, was convicted by the Leninsky district court of Minsk for alleged calls to participate in an unsanctioned mass event that was to be held in Minsk on October 21, 2017. He was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. As proof of Niakliaeu’s guilt, a quotation was taken from the website Charter97.org, which features a link to an interview that the poet gave on October 16, 2017 to the Polish informational channel Belsat TV. Such accusations are contrary to international standards and restrict the right to express one’s opinion, guaranteed, in part, by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus."



PEN America (full text):
https://pen.org/belarusian-pen-center-protest-conviction-poet/


The statement by the Belarusian PEN center:
https://pen-centre.by/2017/11/08/zayava-rady-belaruskaga-pen-centru.html


***

Charter 97 (17.10.2017)
https://charter97.org/en/news/2017/10/17/266258/

***






Photo: KL