#belarus

#belarus

There are many symptoms of totalitarian sickness gripping Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus. You risk being arrested for wearing red and white together, the colours of the outlawed flag of the country's opposition movement. Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four has been banned, which seems rather on the nose. But these are just some of the more farcical elements, the collateral comedy spinning from the deep repression, violence and psychological wounds charted in this sobering film that follows a trio of Belarusian activists,

It is 4 o'clock in the morning. There are sirens wailing, and gunfire can be heard everywhere. Teenagers aged 13 to 14, dressed in military uniforms and armed with rifles, run out of tents. Some return the fire, while others crouch down and run over to wounded schoolchildren. They bandage them, place them on stretchers and try to get them to safety.

Mikita Losik was sentenced to three years for "extremist activities" after sending photos of Russian military equipment to a Telegram channel. He fled Belarus after being evacuated to safety.