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Artists Hold New York City Protest Against Belarus

   Bernard Shusman and Carolyn Weaver | New York  19 January 2011

   Theater  artists  and  members of Amnesty International rallied in New
   York  Wednesday  to  protest  the  crackdown  on Belarus activists and
   artists, including the Belarus Free Theatre.
   The  rally  outside  Belarusās  permanent mission followed the Belarus
   Free  Theaterās  acclaimed  New  York  run  of the play, "Being Harold
   Pinter."  About  200  demonstrators  called  for an end to arrests and
   mistreatment  of  actors,  journalists,  and  political  activists  in
   Belarus.
   Oskar Eustis artistic director of Manhattanās Public Theater, noted it
   was  unusual  for  theater artists to hold a political demonstration -
   but said it was their duty in this case.
   "This   demonstration   isnāt   against  a  foreign  government.  This
   demonstration  is for human rights, itās for free speech, itās for the
   release  of  the  political  prisoners  and the ability of the Belarus
   people to speak freely about their own situation," Eustis said.
   Belarusās  presidential  election  in  December,  in  which  President
   Alexsander  Lukashenko  was re-elected, has been termed fraudulent and
   absurd  by Western leaders. Protests in Belarus that followed were met
   with  a  massive government crackdown. At the New York rally, American
   playwright Tony Kushner had harsh words for Lukashenko.
   "There  is a decline in support of this man and his monstrous policies
   in  Russia.  Pessure on the Obama administration, on the UN and on the
   Congress  to  insist  that Russia stop supporting this man and condemn
   whatās  going  on  in Belarus is particularly effective at a time like
   this," he said.
   Leaders of the rally have called for the appointment of a special U.N.
   rapporteur  to  investigate  unreasonable  use  of  force by Belarusās
   government following the disputed election.

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