Culture minister says dissident artists should repent

February 22, BPN. “Traitors should have no place on stage,” be it a state-sponsored event or a rural gig, Culture Minister Anatol Markievič has told the ministry’s board, referring to artists critical of the government.

Authorities will consider individual cases of artists who renounce their former beliefs and want to work for the benefit of Belarus, he added.

“If a person sincerely repents his or her words, posts and likes, is ready to work for the state and publicly express the civic position, he or she may be given a second chance,” the culture ministry’s press office quoted him as saying.

Authorities would part with artists “immediately and forever” should their repentance turn out to be a lie, he noted.

Many artists have fled Belarus fearing politically-motivated persecution after 2020 protests, while others stopped creative work in protest. Kupałaŭcy, a group of former national theater actors and actresses, currently performs abroad.

The Belarusian government reportedly has a black list of Belarusian and foreign musicians banned from performing in Belarus.