EN / DE / IT / RU

On September 7, 2020, Maria Kalesnikava, freedom fighter and leading figure of the democracy movement in Belarus, was kidnapped by masked men in Minsk and brought to the Ukrainian border. There she courageously resisted her deportation by tearing up her passport. Since then Maria Kalesnikava, who lives as a musician and art curator in Stuttgart and Minsk, has been imprisoned in Belarus. She is accused of having publicly demanded an attempt to seize power. In fact, Maria Kalesnikava and the Coordination Council have only used legal means to call for democratic elections and peaceful dialogue.

As director of “Musik der Jahrhunderte” in Stuttgart, I have worked intensively with Maria over the last two years. She was our Social Media Manager and with her talent for reaching people and creating strong images, she did an outstanding job for our festival ECLAT. We cultural workers from Germany and the world have great concern for Maria.

President Lukashenko, we call on you to release Maria Kalesnikava and all political prisoners in Belarus immediately! Stop the violence against your own people and allow democratic and fair elections in your country!

The fact that Maria is now in custody because of her non-violent activities for democracy is a scandal. We stand in solidarity with the democracy movement in Belarus - as friends and colleagues of Maria Kalesnikava from Stuttgart and as democrats from all over the world! 

After the presidential elections on August 9, 2020, the official results of which were not even recognized internationally by the EU and many other countries, the Belarusian democracy movement initiated the continuous peaceful protests, for which hundreds of thousands of people continuously took to the streets throughout the country. After the forced exile of her fellow campaigners Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Veronika Zepkalo as well as other members of the Coordinating Council, Maria Kalesnikava, consciously and with conviction, remained in Belarus and supported the mass protests against the Belarusian president, which had been going on for weeks, with courage and determination.

Please sign this petition and support our efforts for democratic elections and the release of our friend and other illegally imprisoned democrats in Belarus! #FreeMaria

Supporters:

Christine Fischer, Intendantin Musik der Jahrhunderte, Künstlerische Leiterin Festival ECLAT
Jochen Sandig, Intendant Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele
Viktor Schoner, Intendant Staatsoper Stuttgart

Sergej Newski, Komponist
Katja Petrowskaja, Schriftstellerin 
Marina Naprushkina, Künstlerin
Titus Engel, Dirigent
Miron Hakenbeck, Dramaturg 
Gerhart R. Baum, Bundesminister a.D., Vorsitzender des Kulturrats NRW
Claudia Roth, Vizepräsidentin des Deutschen Bundestags
Fritz Kuhn, Oberbürgermeister der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart
Petra Olschowski, Staatssekretärin Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg
Andreas Winter, Fraktionsvorsitzender Bündnis 90/Die Grünen im Stuttgarter Gemeinderat
Helmut Lachenmann, Komponist
Sasha Waltz, Choreographin
Herta Müller, Schriftstellerin
Milo Rau, Regisseur
Carolin Emcke, Publizistin
Silvia Fehrmann, Leiterin Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD
Nina George, Präsidentin des European Writers‘ Council
Bernd Loebe, Intendant der Oper Frankfurt, Künstlerischer Leiter der Tiroler Festspiele Erl
Christiane Pohle, Regisseurin
Dr. Julia Cloot, Präsidentin Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik, Deutsche Sektion
Dr. Regula Rapp, Rektorin Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Werner Schretzmeier, Leiter Theaterhaus Stuttgart
Mitglieder der Neuen Vocalsolisten Stuttgart
Viktoriia Vitrenko, Sängerin und Dirigentin, Vorstand InterAKT Initiative e.V.
Jasmin Schädler, Regisseurin, Performerin & Bildende Künstlerin, Vorstand InterAKT Initiative e.V.
Elke aus dem Moore, Direktorin der Akademie Schloss Solitude
Martina Grohmann, Intendantin Theater Rampe
Marie Bues, Intendantin Theater Rampe
Paula Kohlmann, Dramaturgin Theater Rampe
Dr. Stefanie Stegmann, Leitung Literaturhaus Stuttgart
Ulrike Groos, Direktorin Kunstmuseum Stuttgart
Hans D. Christ, Direktor Württembergischer Kunstverein
Iris Dressler, Direktorin Württembergischer Kunstverein
Prof. Dr. Christiane Lange, Direktorin Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Schweeger, Künstlerische Direktorin Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg
Prof. Martin Schüttler, Komponist
Prof. Angelika Luz, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart
Christian Fausch, Künstlerisches Management Ensemble Modern
Christiane Engelbrecht, Geschäftsführerin Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie e.V.
Philipp Schulte, Hessische Theaterakademie
Hans-Georg Kaiser, Intendant Freiburger Barockorchester
Peter Paul Kainrath, Intendant Klangforum Wien
Benedikt Leitner, Ensemblevertretung Klangforum Wien