“Europe’s last dictatorship” – BBC’s new film about Belarus

The first interview in the film features Hanna, an activist of the Belarusian Republican youth Union, who gets ready for participation in July 3 parade in her poor student’s room. Hanna explains tirelessly as a topic during examination that “it is really a great holiday for our country”, as July 3 Belarus was liberated from fascism. In the evening the journalist finds Hanna in the crowd of people who watch the fireworks.

The journalists didn’t manage to film the blast that took place soon after that. However, right after than arrests started. BBC journalist Lucy Ash follows an activist of “Batskayshchyna” (“Fatherland”) association Nina Shydlouskaya in search of her husband, Miraslau Lazouski.

A BBC cameraman miraculously slipped steal into the court where the trial over an activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Palina Kuryanovich was taking place. She was arrested only for having a flag of the European Union in her backpack. After release Palina goes to her summer cottage, where the family gathers together. Her father says: “Well done!” and kisses his daughter.

“Somebody should fight, but who else if not us?” Paval Kuryanovich, Palina’s brother said. Together with journalists he heads to the roof of a house where a European and a national flag are raised.

The film contains many interviews with different people fighting for the freedom of the “last Europe’a dictatorship”.

See the film here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/7536072.stm