Larissa game 2
24 March 2021
A Day with the Police
Note! Larissa was imprisoned from 6 Dec 2022 to 11 Sept 2025.
Read more here.
In this game, you will act out what happened to freelance journalist Larissa on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
In the afternoon at 2:00 PM, she is supposed to go to a police interrogation, where she will be questioned in connection with the legal case against human rights activist Leonid Sudalenka (see below). She has been nervous and stressed about this interrogation for over a week. She hasn’t been able to sleep. How can she mentally prepare herself to act correctly? She knows that everything she says can be used against her friend and that the interrogation may last a very long time.
At 8:00 AM, a local police officer unexpectedly knocks on Larissa’s door. It is a police officer she knows from before, Victor. Victor is a talented musician, a father of four, and interested in music and Belarusian traditions—just like Larissa. However, for some reason, Victor must take Larissa to the police station so she can sign a document promising not to break any rules during “Freedom Day” on March 25.
Scenes to be performed in the role-play
Total duration: 15–20 minutes
1. First, act out a short discussion between Larissa and one of her friends (e.g., Joakim) or colleagues at the human rights organization she works for (this can be a phone conversation). They discuss the upcoming interrogation. Larissa’s 13-year-old son overhears the conversation and comments on it afterward.
2. Then act out a discussion between two police officers. One is Larissa’s “friend” Victor, who will pick her up the next day, and the other is one of the officers who will interrogate her about Leonid Sudalenka. Their discussion is about Larissa.
3. Next, act out Larissa’s day on March 24. First, the morning scene when Victor picks her up and drives her to the police station. The son may be present at home if you wish, but he does not go to the police station.
4. Then perform the scene where Larissa returns to the police station in the afternoon for the interrogation. In reality, the interrogation lasts 2 hours, so keep in mind that it should be relatively long here as well. In the role-play, perhaps about 1 minute—or as long as needed to convey the feeling of “psychological pressure.”
5. Finish with April 13, when Larissa is out in town with someone. This could be her son, a colleague (Joakim?), or her mother. Police officer Victor has noticed that it happens to be Larissa’s birthday and congratulates her, wishing her “all the best.”
Roles
- Larissa
- Her 13-year-old son
- A colleague / Joakim or both
- Local police officer Victor, whom Larissa knows well
- A strongly Lukashenko-regime-loyal police officer who conducts the interrogation about Leonid Sudalenka
(The same person can play multiple roles, e.g., both the son and the “harsh” police officer, or both the son and the mother.)
Locations
- Larissa’s home
- Police station
- Other possible locations: In the police car, At the newsroom/workplace
Materials
Listen to the audio files:
- Belarus Larissa 24.3 morning
- Larissa about police-friend 24.3
- 24.3 Larissa police morning
- Detained 24.3 for walking with flag
Listen to these clips (in English) where Larissa talks about her day and about the local police officer.
Freedom Day
March 25 is traditionally celebrated as “Freedom Day.”
Freedom day/ Wikipedia
Frihetens dag/Yle
Bild på Leanid Sudalenka och Ingrid
Bildtext: Ingrid Svanfeldt and Leanid Sudalenka in Vilnius , June 2025.
Leanid Sudalenka is a prominent human rights defender, lawyer, and head of the Gomel branch of the Human Rights Centre Viasna. He is an active campaigner and advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in Belarus. Leanid Sudalenka is laureate of the 2018 ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ Human Rights Prize of the French Republic. Viasna provides legal support to victims of human rights violations and helps them to prepare individual complaints to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Sudalenka was jailed in 2021 and served 2,5 years in a penal colony. He now works and lives in exile in Lithuania.
For questions about the game or workshops related to it, please contact: Ingrid Svanfeldt
The project has been granted funding from the following foundations:
The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Foundation for Journalistic Culture – Jokes and the Foundation for Media and Development – Vikes.
Copyright © 2026 Svanfield OY