#2NATIONS4FREEDOM - UKRAINIANS & BELARUSIANS AGAINST EVIL - Instytut Pileckiego

#2NATIONS4FREEDOM -
UKRAINIANS & BELARUSIANS AGAINST EVIL

18.03, 16.00 - 21.00 | Pariser Platz 4A, 10117 | Registration: events@pileckiinstitut.de

Programme:

- Political prisoners in Belarus: letter-writing campaign.
- Voices of Ukraine: exhibition opening
- Panel discussion with Agnieszka Romaszewska, Joerg Forbig, Tatsiana Khomich (Masha Kalasnikova's sister), Eva Jakubi, Anton Dorokh and Hanna Radziejowska
- Naviband concert

Find more details down below

Organisers:

Pilecki Institute Berlin together with the Polish Embassy in Berlin
Allianz Ukrainischer Organisationen, RAZAM Belarus Berlin
Adam Mickiewicz Institute

Russia's aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has marked a caesura in modern history. The death of thousands of civilians at the hands of Russian aggressors, the horrific bombardment of cities, the destruction of Ukrainian culture, the numerous war crimes committed by Russian soldiers, the millions of refugees from Ukraine - all this shocked the world both morally and politically. At the same time, the heroic defense of a free Ukraine has astonished European societies, experts and politicians alike, just as the scale of the protests and the determination of the Belarusian people in their fight against the Lukashenko regime after the rigged elections has surprised them two years ago.

The courage of the democratic Belarusian social movement, which was born in August 2020, has been put to a huge test by the regime: violence, Stalinist prisons and terror .
Before our eyes, we are seeing the birth of a new world - the democratic, modern, courageous nations of Eastern Europe. The heart of the free world is beating now in the fighting Kiev and in the prisons of Minsk.

On 18 March, on the occasion of Belarusian Independence Day, we invite you to a series of events at the Pilecki Institute in Berlin.

Scheudule:

Political prisoners in Belarus: letter-writing campaign.

4.00 p.m. - 9.00 pm, conference room, Pilecki Institute

As a result of the persecution of the Lukashenko regime after the rigged elections in August 2020, there are already officially over 1089 political prisoners in prison in Belarus. They are held by the Lukashenko regime in horrible Stalinist conditions - in overcrowded cells, without access to basic hygiene facilities, and without the possibility of contact with their loved ones. Prisoners are subjected to torture and humiliation.

The letter-writing campaign is organized in cooperation with the Belarusian diaspora RAZAM Verein Berlin. This act of solidarity with the persecuted is an extremely important sign for the prisoners - a sign that the free world remembers and will not forget them. In particular, we would like to remind you of Angelika Borys and Andrei Poczobut, Polish activists from Belarus, who have been in detention for a year waiting for the beginning of their trial.

Voices of Ukraine: exhibition opening

5.00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., foyer, Pilecki Institute

The Alliance of Ukrainian Organizations * (Allianz Ukrainischer Organisationen), the Pilecki Institute, and a group of Ukrainian journalists (who created the project "War. Stories from Ukraine" *) are organizing an exhibition "Voices of Ukraine." The exhibition is devoted to the stories of Ukrainians whose lives changed on February 24 due to the beginning of a full-scale war. The exhibition will be held at Pariser Platz 4A, 10117 Berlin, from March 16 to April 13.
Every story must be told; every story must be heard. The exhibition presents the stories of Ukrainians of different ages, professions and residences who are nevertheless united in their desire for peace. We want to show how war is changing your present. On February 23, each of them went to bed and hoped to have a quiet morning coffee. Waking up now, they don't know if they still have a home. Many no longer do, and some are being displaced for the second time – in 2014, they were forced to flee the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as well as Crimea, which were occupied by Russia. These people worked as waitresses and lawyers, owned grocery stores, paid taxes, studied, and lived the same lives as everyone else in Europe. The only difference was that Russia was nearby.
How do these people feel? What did they take with them as they ran away from home? Why did they stay in the hailstorms? What do their lives look like under fire? Where do they find the strength to help others? What are they afraid of, and what do they dream about?
Some of our heroes are defending Ukraine on the front lines, so only their first names are used in the project.
We hope that everyone will hear us.

#2NATIONS4FREEDOM: panel discussion
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., conference room, Pilecki Institute

2Nations4Freedom: a panel discussion with Agnieszka Romaszewska (Director of Bielsat TV) Joerg Forbig (Senior Fellow and Director for Central and Eastern Europe at The German Marshall Fund of the United States), Tatsiana Khomich (Coordination Council Representative for political prisoners, sister of Masha Kalasnikova), Eva Jakubi (co-founder of Vitsche Berlin), Anton Dorokh (co-founder of Vitsche Berlin) and Hanna Radziejowska (Director of the Pilecki Institute Berlin)

Russia's aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has marked a caesura in modern history. The death of thousands of civilians at the hands of Russian aggressors, the horrific bombardment of cities, the destruction of Ukrainian culture, the numerous war crimes committed by Russian soldiers, the millions of refugees from Ukraine - all this shocked the world both morally and politically. At the same time, the heroic defense of a free Ukraine has astonished European societies, experts and politicians alike, just as the scale of the protests and the determination of the Belarusian people in their fight against the Lukashenko regime after the rigged elections has surprised them two years ago. The courage of the democratic Belarusian social movement, which was born in August 2020, has been put to a huge test by the regime: violence, Stalinist prisons and terror .
Before our eyes, we are seeing the birth of a new world - the democratic, modern, courageous nations of Eastern Europe. The heart of the free world is beating now in the fighting Kiev and in the prisons of Minsk.

Today, Lukashenko and Putin are jointly waging war on the freedom-fighting Ukraine. Nearly a month since the outbreak of the war and more than a year and a half since the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity in Belarus, we would like to invite you to discuss following questions:

What challenges does Europe face to effectively support a free Belarus and Ukraine?
What changes in the geopolitical sphere can already be referred to as unchangeable?
What role did and does identity, historical experience and modern understanding of the nation play in the struggle for freedom of both nations? Can we speak of changes in this sphere that have also affected the rest of Europe?

Naviband: Concert

7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., foyer, Pilecki Institute

Naviband is a Belarusian indie pop group singing in Belarusian founded in early 2013 and representing Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest (2017). The group performed many times in Europe.
In 2020, during the protests in Belarus, the band released two songs in support of the protesters: Others and The Girl in White, dedicated to the women protesters. Like many artists fighting against the Lukashenko regime, they were forced to emigrate. They perform all over Europe supporting Belarusians in their fight for a democratic and free country.
The band was founded a duo between vocalist and guitarist Arciom Lukjanienka and vocalist and keyboardist Ksienija Žuk, later also featured guitarist Aliaksandr Taboĺski, bassist Uladzislaŭ Čaščavik, and drummer Uladzimir Biehier.