Police arrest writer Filipienka’s father

November 9, Pozirk. Police in Belarus have arrested the father of Saša Filipienka, the writer and an outspoken critic of the Belarusian government said on Facebook.

Seven police officers armed with rifles raided his parents’ apartment and told Filipienka’s mother that the raid was linked to her son’s activities.

“It is clear that they put pressure on me and want me to stop speaking out in the European media,” Filipienka, currently based abroad, said.

The writer is known for his support of the Belarusian protest movement in Europe following the 2020 postelection protests against vote rigging and police brutality.

He kept calling for the release of Belarusian political prisoners and supporting Ukraine in his interviews to the Russian, German, English, Swedish, Dutch, Polish and French media outlets.

In July, his play, mocking undercover security agents hunting down protesters, premiered in Vilnius.