„I believe that future Belarus has enormous democratic potential.“ Interview with Natallia Matskevich
Natallia Matskevich is a Belarusian human rights lawyer who, among others, represented Sergei Tikhanovsky and Viktar Babaryka, some of the most prolific opposition figures in Belarus. She is one of the speakers at this year’s International Conference in Honour of the Laureate of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. In 2021, she was disbarred by the Belarusian Bar Association for her defense of Babaryka and had to leave Belarus in 2023.
For Havel Channel, Matskevich talks with Ian Willoughby about her legal practice in Belarus, her experience in exile, and the necessity of using all possible means for resistance.
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Serie: Artists in Oppression / 2025
13th annual International Conference in Honour of the Laureate of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
“The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle.”
Václav Havel (Summer Meditations, 1991)
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Venue: Technology Center of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Mikulandská 5, Prague 1
Under the auspices of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský
Freedom of artistic creation is one of the fundamental human rights, at least according to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, which lists it alongside other human rights. Artistic freedom is a specific type of freedom of expression, and it is no coincidence that artists, along with journalists and commentators, tend to head lists of persecuted individuals. Through their work, artists stir up society and f
„Prison made me even stronger.“ # Interview with Aleksandra Skochilenko, russian artist and activist
