Polish TV-Channel launches campaign against death penalty in Belarus

The movie "Three days with the mother of death convict" made by TVN television caused a great resonance in Poland and Belarus. TV journalists have decided to continue the work on the "Belarusian terrorists" case and now they are shooting the second part of the movie.
 
Euroradio’s correspondent has asked the author of the movie Monica Guraleuska what it is, and why the TVN channel decided to launch their own campaign against the death penalty in Belarus.

 
Euroradio: Tell me about the campaign. Why did you decide to arrange it?
 
Monica Guraleuska: The campaign began on April 11. We decided to do it on the anniversary of the explosion. We started it with the appeal of Lyubou Kavalyova and Svyatlana Zhuk for the moratorium for death penalty and their pleads to give them their sons' bodies. We think that this is a very important aspect of this case - they cannot bury their sons properly. We understand that there have been many resolutions against the death penalty in Belarus. However, as a journalist, I wouldn't like silence on this topic to be established once again. The silence above the coffins, in particular, the coffins of Kanavalau and Kavalyou, whose case shook the Poles to such an extent. They spoke about death penalty execution in Belarus before, but this case shown how unfair and disputable the sentence was and how dramatically it was executed. 

I don't know which results our appeal may give. However, I think that the Poles take this case to their minds more and more. We also want to ask support of the scientists, the media, the artists. The people who are known and respected in Poland.

Euroradio: In general, what do the Poles think on this topic? Are they interested in what is happening in Belarus now?

Monica Guraleuska: It seems to me that the Poles are getting more and more interested. There were some news before. However, the Belarusian affairs have been present in the Poles' minds more and more since the last presidential election. Repressions against the opposition members, death sentences made a great resonance in Poland. It seems that there are two essential issues: existence of political prisoners and moratorium on death penalty.  

Euroradio: Maybe, you have already received some comments of Belarusians or Poles with regard to this movie?

Monica Guraleuska: There were shocked voices after the movie, they asked me to continue this topic. This is where this resolution and propaganda of the death penalty problem in Belarus started from. Now we are shooting the second part. This story is based not only on the mother's drama. I want the Poles to know which manipulations happened in the court and what indeed happened in the Minsk metro.

Euroradio: What will be there in the second part? Maybe, the TVN team found some previously unknown facts? 

Monica Guraleuska: We will present comments of human rights activists and those who followed this court case in Belarus, those who analyzed this issue properly. Of course, all this will be confirmed by independent Polish specialists. Anyway, everything shows that the conclusions made by the independent researches of the process are correct. The second part will be mostly dedicated to Kanavalau's figure. His story is less known because he kept silence.

Euroradio: Was it hard to make such movie in Belarus? Which difficulties did the TVN team come across? 

Monica Guraleuska: Rather, the people who contacted with the Western journalists were in danger. The fact that Lukashenka denied the appeal at the moment we were making pictures of Uladzislau Kavalyou's mother makes one think. 

Euroradio: You spent several days with Lyubou Kavalyova? Were you impressed by anything?

Monica Guraleuska: It was very difficult for all our journalists. We started making this material with a hope that it would help to save the convicted youngsters. We were in Vitsebsk when we received the news that a commission had been summoned to consider the appeal. Unfortunately, it was denied. It was like an explosion for us. And even then, Lyubou Kavalyova was trying to do something. She came to Minsk, she still hoped. We were in a car together with her. There is a scene in the movie where Lyubou is a weird condition and keeps repeating, like, why do I cry, he is still alive. 

Then there arrived the information that Uladzislau had been executed. She was so emotional. These moments were a shock to all our team. 

I really admire and respect Lyubou Kavalyova for her courage. This feature of an ordinary woman has become known to a wide circle of people. We are very worried about the moratorium issue now as at present the struggle has been lost. We had a hope that maybe this time the sentence would not be executed. Especially because there were so many contradictions and so many appeals from Europe not to execute the sentence. 

Euroradio: TVN is a big TV-channel. Maybe, some famous persons have already joined the campaign?

Monica Guraleuska: The action has just started. I think we appeal to concrete persons in 2-3 weeks, but it will be seen by the signatures in the petition. I hope that we will manage to get influential Polish women involved. As execution of death sentences worry women and mothers in the first place. On the whole, we will address to many people. We already have support of the TVN journalists and many others.