Public Figures of Belarus Call to Protect PBNF Office

04.05.2011 11:26
Архив Редакция

More than 120 public and cultural figures of Belarus have signed a petition, urging "the conscious citizens" to speak in defense of the Minsk BPF office. The document is also addressed to the Chairman of Minsk City Executive Committee, Nikolai Ladutko, and Chief of the housing association for repair service of the Soviet District of Minsk Oleh Samuylik.

«The issue with the office on 8 Masherau Avenue goes beyond dispute businesses. With office eviction, the housing association will eliminate peculiar island of Belarus, which was the basis for an active social and cultural activities. Offices in 8 Masherau Avenue (previously 8 Varvasheni) — is a public space with the live Belarusian language. This is a place where people naturally gain experience speaking in the Belarusian language — critically important for the preservation of the language. At the same time, this is the place, where a civil society of Belarus is formed. Views are facing here. Our freedom and our culture will lose a lot without such a place,» said in the appeal.

The document’s authors argue that the premise should be preserved «not for politics,» but for the culture and the language, «Nasha Niva

Most of the signers belong neither to PBNF, nor to any other parties, they use the premises as offices for «social activities, self-education and self-actualization.» «We haven’t got other similar premises,» they say and ask officials to leave the same address for the office.

«We urge anyone who can keep watch of solidarity in the room at 8 Masherau Avenue,» the authors of the treatment say.

The signatories are academician Radim Horetski, national poet of Belarus Nil Hilevich, singers Liavon Volski and Dmitri Voytiushkevich, writer Vladimir Orlov, national actress Zinaida Bondarenko, head of the Belarusian Language Society (the Society of the Belarusian language) Oleh Trusov, head of the Union of the Belarusian Writers Ales Pashkevich, chief editor of «Narodnaya Volia» Svetlana Kalinkina, poet Hennadi Buravkin, blogger Eugeni Lipkovich, wife of ex-presidential candidate Ales Mikhalevich, parents of co-chairman of the organizing committee of the «Belarusian Christian Democracy,» Pavel Seviarynets, Constantine and Tatiana Seviarynets, philosopher Valentin Akudovich, editors of the newspaper «Nasha Niva» Andrei Dynko and Andrei Skurko, cultural experts Zhbankov Maxim and many others.

As Telegraf previously reported, the city authorities do not want to prolong the BPF lease for an office on Masherau Avenue in Minsk. The term of the previous contract ended on April 1.

The PBPF members considered the eviction as illegal and sued. In their view, the government’s decision is political. At the moment, round-the-clock duty work is currently carried out in the BPF office.

The Economic Court of Minsk begins to consider the BPF claim to housing organization of the Soviet district of the capital with the demand to extend the lease for the office on Wednesday, May 4.

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