Mikalai Khalezin | |
|---|---|
_II.jpg) Mikalaj Chalezin (2025) | |
| Born | Mikalai Mikalayevič Khalezin (1964-03-30)March 30, 1964 (age 61) Minsk, Belarusian SSR, USSR |
| Occupations | playwright, dissident, journalist |
| Spouse | Natalia Koliada |
Mikalai Mikalayevič Khalezin (Belarusian:Мікалай Мікалаевіч Халезін;Russian:Николай Николаевич Халезин,romanized: Nikolay Nikolayevich Khalezin; born 30 March 1964, Minsk, Belarusian SSR, USSR) is a Belarusian-British[1] playwright and journalist, co-founder and art-director of the undergroundBelarus Free Theatre, dissident and a longtime critic of Belarusian presidentAlexander Lukashenko.
Khalezin was born in Minsk in 1964. His father was a singer in theBelarusian State Philharmonic.[2] In 1984, he enteredInstitute for National Economy in Minsk but quit after 2.5 or 3 years.[2][3] In 1987–1991, he worked as ascenographer in the Alternative theatre in Minsk.[4] In 1990, he created "Vita Nova" gallery of contemporary art.[4] In 1994–2000, he worked in 3 non-government newspapers which were later forcibly closed for political reasons.[4] For his activities he was detained 4 times and imprisoned once.[4]
In 2005, Khalezin and his wifeNatalia Koliada founded deliberately undergroundBelarus Free Theatre, and soon a stage director Uladzimir Shcherban joined them.[3] In 2007, the whole troupe with the audience were arrested by Belarusian police during the play.[3] According to Khalezin, formerhead of the presidential administrationVladimir Makei tried to discredit his theatre for Khalezin's anti-Lukashenko activities.[5] In 2011, the United Kingdom granted political asylum to Khalezin and his wife.[3][1]
In 2020, Khalezin became an active lobbyist ofsanctions against the Belarusian regime. As of December 2020, Khalezin was an executive director of the Creative Politics Hub and lobbied the imposition of sanctions against supporters and close associates of Lukashenko.[6] On 27 December 2020, Belarusian government newspaperSovetskaya Belorussiya published an uncovereddeath threat to Khalezin and his wife ("We will definitely find you... and we will hang you, side-by-side").[1] A British foreign office spokeswoman condemned that threat.[1] Khalezin and Kaliada expressed fears about possible assassination attempts but refused to stop their anti-Lukashenko activity.[6] In 2021, Khalezin continued to collaborate with the Belarusian leader-in-exileSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya participating in her visit to the United States of America in July 2021.[7]
As of 2013, he had 12 plays and over 200 publications in Belarus and abroad.[4] As of 2021, he is a strategic development manager in the Belarusian Council for Culture (BY_CULTURE).[8] He currently lives in London.[9]
Khalezin and Kaliada were both appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2023 Birthday Honours for services to theatre.[10]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
