Mikalaj Khalezin wins Hellman-Hammet award

48 representatives of creative professions who suffered from persecution have become laureats of the Hellman-Hammet award. The award has been given by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch. Creators from 24 countries have received the Hellman-Hammet award for their adherence to freedom of word and their bravery under harassment, "Belarusian Partisan" states.

This award is given annually to writers and journalists from all over the world, who have become victims of political persecution or human rights violation.

Let us remind you, Khalezin left Belarus with a part of the Belarusian Free Theatre after December 19, 2010. He was threatened with criminal persecution after the dispersal of the peaceful demonstration, participants of which protested against falsification of the presidential election's results.

According to Khalezin, he will be able to finish the book which he has started writing, due to this award. He says that it will be a book about the contemporary Belarus, about the Belarusian Free Theatre, about creativity in a non-free country.