Jauhien’s game 3

On Sunday, 13 September 2020, the police arrest journalist Jauhien Merkis in the city of Homel before he has even had time to begin reporting on the day’s demonstrations.

Earlier in August, Jauhien had already been detained for a total of 8 days. He knows that the authorities are only allowed to keep him in detention for 15 days, since this is not a criminal case but an administrative penalty under Belarusian law. However, he suspects that he may be held longer this time, since he received a 15-day sentence in August but only had to serve 3 days of it. This means he may still have 12 days left to serve from that sentence. During his imprisonment, he is once transferred to a smaller town near the Ukrainian border, known for being heavily contaminated after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Jauhien and other journalists and pro-democracy activists in Belarus now all keep a packed bag at home with items allowed in prison: some clothes, hygiene products, and books to read. Relatives and friends are usually also able to bring food, water, paper, and pens to political prisoners.

1. First, act out the situation in which Jauhien is arrested during the day on the street as he is on his way home from the store. Two or three police officers stop a car near his home and arrest him as he is about to go inside. He does not have time—and is not allowed—to take his prison bag. The officers are not wearing uniforms, and Jauhien asks who they are and what they are doing and tries to protest, but they take him away. The officers try to conceal their identities. The scene ends in the detention cell.

2. Act out how Jauhien spends time in the new cell: reading, sleeping on a hard and cold metal bunk, and reporting at regular intervals at the door when the guards make their rounds. Other detainees who have committed minor offenses talk about what they have done and feel sympathy for Jauhien. A harsh prison guard orders Jauhien to come to the cell door and state his name. He receives his prison bag and food through a hatch.

3. Act out a scene outside the prison where some relatives and two of Jauhien’s colleagues have gathered to show their support for those imprisoned. Then act out the scene where Jauhien writes “Long live Belarus” with a red pen on a white piece of paper and hangs it in the prison window. His colleague outside manages to take a photo of the paper and spread it on social media. The prison guards are quickly alerted. Jauhien is punished and moved to another cell without paper, pens, or books.

4. Act out a short scene where Jauhien is waiting for news about whether he will be released after his 15th day in detention. He is then told that he must serve an additional 12 days. Then act out how Jauhien and other prisoners are suddenly transferred to another location. The scene ends in a police car on the way to the new place.

5. Act out a scene with Jauhien’s father, Alexander, a cardiologist, and his 30-year-old brother Konstantin, who lives at home and has a disability and cannot attend a work activity center due to the coronavirus pandemic. He now spends most of his time at the computer. Their mother has been dead for several years. The father and brother are visited by Jauhien’s best friend. The father has been a regime-loyal cardiologist and still works for the state, as do all doctors in Belarus, but his patience with the Lukashenko regime is beginning to wear thin. Jauhien’s friend tries to comfort the father and explain everything to the brother, who does not understand why Jauhien is in prison.

6. Act out a scene a few weeks after Jauhien has been released, when he returns to work with Larissa and once again conducts interviews with ordinary people on the street.

Note! Check which roles are needed in each scene. The same person can play multiple roles.
Roles
Jauhien, police officers, other detainees, Jauhien’s father Alexander (cardiologist), Jauhien’s brother Konstantin, Jauhien’s best friend, colleague Larissa and another colleague, other relatives outside the prison, people on the street being interviewed.
Locations
Outside Jauhien’s home, police car, prison, father’s home, outside the prison, and on the street.
Props
Jauhien’s bag and items allowed in detention.
Material
Listen to the following audio files