
MINSK, 17 March (BelTA) – The Emil Czeczko Award has been established in Belarus on the anniversary of his death, Chairman of the Board of the Emil Czeczko International Charitable Foundation Dmitry Belyakov said at BelTA's photo exhibition “The Border Between Life and Death”, BelTA has learned.

Dmitry Belyakov thanked BelTA and the Mikhail Savitsky Art Gallery where the exhibition is running. “The foundation is named after the Polish soldier who crossed into Belarus to tell people about terrible crimes, executions of refugees, real genocide of Muslims by the Polish authorities. Today marks a year since this Polish patriot, a repentant soldier of the Polish Army and a globally minded person passed away. He was a person who decided to tell the world about the situation on the Poland-Belarus border,” Dmitry Belyakov said.

The human rights activist emphasized that the so-called enlightened world is silent, the EU, the USA and the UK are silent: “Not a word about this campaign on the part of Western human rights activists and disregard of facts and evidence of the refugee deaths at the border. This phenomenon was called the Emil Czeczko phenomenon. It is a byword for the hypocrisy of European liberal values. But such grave and terrible crimes are difficult to hide,” Dmitry Belyakov said.
"Today, on the anniversary of the death of Emil Czeczko, the Board of the Emil Czeczko International Charitable Foundation announces the Emil Czeczko Award to honor people who have made significant contributions to the cause of freedom of speech and democracy in the EU and the UK. The award will be presented annually at the end of autumn. The cash pool of the award is $18,000. First place is $10,000, second place is $5,000, third place is $3,000. Ten nominees will be invited to Minsk and three winners will be announced in an official ceremony," Dmitry Belyakov said.
BelTA's photo exhibition "The Border Between Life and Death" opened in the Mikhail Savitsky Art Gallery with the support of the "Sistemnaya Pravozaschita" ["Systemic Human Rights Protection"] center on 17 March. The exhibition features more than 100 photographs depicting the real stories and fates of migrants from different countries, including children. The exhibition aims to tell through the lens of a camera about the migrant crisis, to show the real situation on the Belarusian-Polish border.
On 20 March, the photo exhibition "The Border Between Life and Death" will move to the foyer of Minsk Railway Station (3 Privokzalnaya Square). The photos will be on display here until 26 March. From 27 March to 2 April, the photo exhibition "The Border Between Life and Death" will be on display in National Airport Minsk.
The exhibition will be open 24/7; the entrance is free.