Belarusian artists and cultural figures join protests, denounce state violence after disputed election

Svetlana Alexievich, a Nobel Prize winner, will participate in a coordination council aimed at facilitating a peaceful power transition in Belarus, alongside activists Ales Bialacki, Maria Kalesnikava, and Pavel Belavus. She has called for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, citing manipulated elections and violence against demonstrators. Following the police killing of Alyaksandr Taraykouski on August 10, numerous individuals were arrested and assaulted. Lukashenko asserts that he received 80% of the votes against opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, dismissing calls for new elections. On August 19, Kanstancin Shyshmakou, director of the Vaukavysk Museum, was discovered dead in the Nioman River after refusing to endorse the election results. Former culture minister Pavel Latushka, dismissed for his opposition support, sparked resignations and protests, with actors submitting resignation letters to current culture minister Yurii Bondar. An open letter from artists, including Anna Balash and Maxim Sarychev, condemns police brutality using rubber bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters since August 9, 2020, highlighting the detention of 7,000 individuals in dire conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and calling for independent investigations into these violations.