On August 12, 2020, two groups of girls went out to protest in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. They put on white clothes and went barefoot out into the street. In the morning, some went to Komarovskiy Market in the center of town. Later that day, the other group gathered with flowers at the eternal flame under the victory monument. They stood together holding hands, and they started to sing the Belarusian lullaby, waiting for the police cars to arrive. They knew the police would pick them up just like that: barefoot with flowers in their hands, that they would take them to the police station, beat them up and try to humiliate them. And yet they did it anyway.
12. kolovoza 2020. dvije grupe djevojaka su protestirale u Minsku, glavnom gradu Bjelorusije. Obukle su bijelu odjeću i bosonoge pošle ulicom. Ujutro su neke otišle do tržnice Komarovskiy u centru grada. Kasnije toga dana druga grupa se okupila sa cvijećem kod vječnog plamena ispod spomenika pobjedi. Stajale su zajedno držeći se za ruke i počele pjevati bjelorusku uspavanku, čekajući da se pojave policijska vozila. Znale su da će ih policija uhititi samo tako: bosonoge sa svijećem u rukama i povesti u policijsku postaju, tući ih i pokušavati poniziti. Ali svejedno su to napravile.
This year, something changed in Belarus, a country of more than nine million people that has been ruled by an authoritarian leader since 1994. These young women were protesting the latest rigged election result, which had taken [place] just a few days earlier. Their small expressions of protest very quickly expanded into massive, peaceful, women-led demonstrations all across the country.
Ove godine nešto se promijenilo u Bjelorusiji, zemlji sa preko 9 milijuna stanovnika kojom vlada autoritativni vladar od 1994. Ove mlade djevojke su protestirale zbog posljednjih namještenih izbora koji su se zbili samo nekoliko dana ranije. Njihov mali protest se ubrzo proširio u masivne, miroljubive demonstracije vođene ženama diljem države.
Within just a few days, a few hundred thousand people took to the streets and demonstrations have continued ever since, the likes of which Belarus has never seen before. All this despite the fact that the president proclaimed himself reelected and that more than 10,000 people have been detained, hundreds tortured and at least six killed.
U samo nekoliko dana nekoliko stotina tisuća ljudi izišlo je na ulice i demonstracije su nastavljene sve od tada, i to takve kakve Bjelorusija još nije vidjela. Sve to usprkos činjenici da se predsjednik proglasio ponovno izabranim i da je preko 10 000 ljudi uhićeno, stotine mučeno i najmanje šestero ubijeno.
Many people wonder why the people of Belarus are speaking up now. What makes them keep taking to the streets despite unprecedented police violence, despite state lawlessness? The answer I hear the most is that people have become fearless, and it's something we have become together.
Mnogi ljudi se pitaju zašto narod Bjelorusije sada progovara. Što ih goni da izlaze na ulice usprkos policijskom nasilju bez presedana, usprkos državnom bezakonju? Odgovor koji najčešće čujem je to da su ljudi postali neustrašivi i to je nešto što smo zajednički postali.
Because fear is the province of one. It feeds on isolation. It doesn't discriminate: men, women, children, elderly -- all of us can feel fear, but only as long as we are on our own. Fearlessness takes two. It only works if and when we show up for each other. Show up so that your neighbor, your colleague, your friend has courage. And they will do the same for you.
Strah je provincija jednog. Hrani se izolacijom. Ne diskriminira: muškarci, žene, djeca, stariji - svi mi možemo osjetiti strah, ali samo kada smo prepušteni sami sebi. Za neustrašivost je potrebno dvoje. Funkcionira jedino onda kada smo jedno uz drugo. Pokaži se tako da tvoj susjed, tvoj kolega, tvoj prijatelj ima hrabrosti. I oni će to isto učiniti za tebe.
A lot has been made of my own role in the presidential election of August 2020. How I stepped in to run for my husband, Sergei, when he was jailed and it became clear that the authorities would deny him his chance to run himself; how I rightfully won the election and became the elected leader of a democratic Belarus, but the official results only gave me 10 percent of the vote and I was forced into exile with my children; how I still fight for those who voted for me and whose voice the regime wants to steal; how "fearless" I am.
Puno se pričalo o mojoj ulozi u predsjedničkim izborima u kolovozu 2020. Kako sam iskoračila da bih se borila za svoga muža Sergeija kada je zatvoren i postalo je jasno da mu vlasti neće dozvoliti da se sam natječe; o tome kako sam s pravom pobijedila i postala izabrani vođa demokratske Bjelorusije, dok su mi službeni rezultati dali samo 10 posto glasova i prisiljena sam otići u progonstvo sa svojom djecom; o tome kako se još borim za one koji su me izglasali i čije glasove režim želi preoteti; o tome kako sam "neustrašiva".
But there were many moments when I was frightened, and I wanted to step down. I was threatened and forced to believe that I'm alone in this fight. And yet the more cities I visited, the more people showed up for the rallies, the less fear I had. And then in the days before the election in Minsk, 60,000 people came to show their support for me, and I was no longer afraid.
Ali bilo je mnoštvo trenutaka kada sam bila prestrašena i željela odstupiti. Prijetilo mi se i tjeralo da mislim kako sam sama u ovoj borbi. Ali što sam više gradova posjećivala, što se više ljudi okupljalo na skupovima, osjećala sam sve manje straha. I, tada, u danima prije izbora u Minsku, 60 000 ljudi se okupilo kako bi me podržalo i više se nisam bojala.
I never wanted to do any of this. I was never overly political, and I never planned to run for office. I wanted to be a mom and a wife. But by fate and the will of my people, I was elevated to this position. And I accept this with a sense of duty and pride. I will not give up. And I will show up for people, because they show up for me. Our courage is born from unity. Our solidarity is our strength.
Nikada više ne želim ništa od toga ponoviti. Nikada nisam bila previše politična i nikada se nisam planirala natjecati za vlast. Željela sam biti majka i žena. Ali zbog sudbine i želje moga naroda postavljena sam na ovu poziciju. I prihvaćam to s osjećajem obveze i ponosa. Neću odustati. I bit ću tu za ljude jer su oni tu za mene. Naša hrabrost se rađa iz jedinstva. Naša solidarnost je naša snaga.
I also now understand that being fearless is a commitment. It is a decision you make every single day. It is a responsibility you take -- responsibility for one another. In this regard, I'm no different from my fellow Belarusians. Their support is tangible. Their solidarity grows in progression. When there are two of you, you are daring. When you're 100, you are brave. When there are thousands of you, you are fearless. And once you are tens of thousands, you become invincible.
Sada također shvaćam da je biti neustrašiv opredijeljenost. To je odluka koju donosite svakog dana. To je odgovornost koju preuzimate - odgovornost jedni za druge. U tom smislu nisam nimalo drugačija od mojih Bjelorusa. Njihova podrška je opipljiva. Njihova solidarnost progresivno raste. Kada vas je dvoje, postajete odvažni. Kada vas je 100, postajete hrabri. Kada vas je na tisuće, postajete neustrašivi. A kada vas ima na desetke tisuća, postajete nepobjedivi.
Thank you.
Hvala.