Good afternoon. My name is Ales Papkovich. I am an artist, musician and former political prisoner.
The story of how I ended up in prison was told by Mediazona and Belsat. These articles can be easily found on the Internet, but here I want to share my experiences once again, tell you how my life has changed and ask for your help.
Creativity has always been an integral part of my life, my way of experiencing and making sense of the world. I graduated from a music school in violin class, an art college and the Academy of Arts. I worked as an animator at Belarusfilm, and after that I went to IT, where I did animation for game companies Vipline, Gambino, Playgendary, Vizor Games.
I never left music either. I put together a music group called “Dze-ya?”, in which I acted as an author and performer. It was difficult to promote my creativity, but I used every opportunity: I performed with cover bands in Minsk clubs, with the band “Re-Major” as a violinist and at the same time I was looking for an opportunity to make studio recordings of my songs.
In 2020, I participated in peaceful marches and protests. I was detained and given 12 days in a pre-trial detention center. The violence I spoke out against came upon me as well. To realize all that horror and cope with my feelings, I spent the next two years writing music. At my request, my loved ones collected all the recorded songs and published them for public use.
In 2022, I decided to leave for Poland. The day before I left, I went to see my parents, and just half an hour later, law enforcement officers broke into my apartment. They beat me up, took my phone and found in it the very photo from the march, for which I had already served 24 hours in 2020. Now I was criminally charged under Article 342 (Article 342 of the Criminal Code — organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them) and sent to a penal colony for 2 years.
The most difficult thing for me in prison was not the lack of freedom, but the impossibility to create. It was as if I had lost a part of myself. And it was important for me, even in such conditions, to find ways to create. I wrote poems, drew on scraps of paper, dreamed of new projects. This helped me to preserve myself, to keep my hands up and wait for my release. After leaving the colony I left the country immediately to avoid further threats to my freedom, health and life.
Now I am in Poland and I need your help. I am just starting to get back on my feet and it is incredibly difficult for me to return to real life after prison. I have to fight for survival and think constantly about how to provide for the necessities of life.
Please help me cover basic needs for housing and food. If possible, I would be happy to buy a laptop. My laptop was never returned to me after I was detained. It's a working tool for me — I could work part-time as a designer, like I used to. It's hard to dream about the future, it hurts to think about not being able to create, my every day is a struggle.
What saves me is the thought that I am not alone and can count on help. Any contribution you can give me will help me to adapt in a new country and recover from my experiences.
I will be grateful for your support and solidarity!
How much is needed?
€3000
€1500 — rent (for the next 3 months)
€500 — food, basic necessities, communications
€1000 — laptop (Gigabyte G5 laptop)