A new book by renowned historian and journalist Yuri Felshtinsky tells the story of Belarus through the lens of Natalia Radina, through the resistance of a journalist who found herself at the epicenter of political struggle and refused to submit to dictates. It's a story of courage, integrity, uncompromisingness, and the price of freedom.
The narrative intertwines the personal with the historical, and biography becomes a vehicle for telling a story about Belarus, where the past haunts the present. However, the book is also a portrait of Natalia Radina herself, the editor-in-chief of the website "Charter '97," whose professional work challenged the dictatorship.
Natalia Radina is a witness to and participant in the events of recent decades in Belarus. In this book, along with her colleagues and supporters—Andrei Sannikov, Dmitry Bondarenko, and Alexandra Herasimenia—she recounts how hopes for democratic change were dashed, how the authorities, through murder and repression, transformed the country into a kingdom of fear, and how Radina herself, after enduring imprisonment and fleeing abroad, became a recognized opposition leader, aiming to overthrow the dictatorship. Through the life of one journalist, the story of a people who continue to fight for freedom is traced.
Natalia Radina
Yuri Felshtinsky (moderator)