The Okrestin Sisters

In the Okrestin prison in the Belarusian capital Minsk, detainees await their appearance in court. This can take days, or sometimes weeks. The cells are overcrowded and the guards are violent. Food and drink is handed out sparingly and the prisoners have no access to a toilet. Outside, friends and family protest. They see a constant stream of full police vans entering the building and sometimes a trickle of detainees are released.

With terrifying realism, the Belarus Free Theatre reenacts the treatment of opponents of President Lukashenko. Banned in Belarus, the company now operates from London. Its activist theater is devoted exclusively to exposing human rights violations in general and those in Europe’s last dictatorship in particular. Since the recent presidential elections and the ensuing popular uprising, their message has become even more meaningful.