Belarus commemorated the third anniversary of Vasil Bykau’s passing. The famous writer was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature, was one of the founders of the Belarusian Popular Front, and is one of the most respected Belarusian authors, a moral authority revered by both seniors and youngsters. When he died, thousands of people came to bid their farewell to him.
Bykau has been hated by the regime for his unequivocal opposition to the current government. Lukashenko did not show up at his burial but stated in an interview that he respected Bykau and grew up on his poetry. Little did he know – Bykau had not written poems. Embarrassing isn’t it?
Later authorities neglected multiple calls to erect his monument or to rename a street after Vasil Bykau. And now, three years after his death, ordinary people, the writer’s relatives and friends came to the cemetery to lay flowers onto his grave. As for the authorities, they were represented by the enigmatic persons in civvies, listening in to the voices of the people taking the floor. The spooks’ presence became more conspicuous when the Young Front activists unveiled the White-Red-White flag outlawed by the regime. A police car parked near the graveyard, too. But as Nasha Niva reported, the police did not interfere.