# Head of Kropka refuses to host presentation of book about political prisoners' wives because of Dedok

- URL: https://syn.by/en/politics/opposition/kropka-refuses-host-presentation/
- Published: 2026-11-12T12:55:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T13:15:05+00:00
- Section: Opposition
- Language: en
- RU edition: https://syn.by/ru/politika/oppoziciya/rukovoditel-kropki-otkazal-prezentatsii-knigi.md
- BE edition: https://syn.by/palityka/apazycyja/kiraunik-kropki-admoviu-prezentacyi-knihi.md

> Two days after the refusal, Volha Velichko named a new venue for the presentation in Vilnius. The time remains the same: 19:00.

![Zmitser Fursanau — Head of Kropka refuses to host presentation of book about political prisoners' wives because of Dedok](https://syn.by/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/zmitser-fursanau-7116-1024x585.webp)

Psychologist Volha Velichko had planned to present a book about the wives of political prisoners on 13 November at the Kropka space in Vilnius, but just two days before the event she was refused the venue. The organisers received a message from the head of Kropka, former political prisoner Zmitser Furmanau: according to him, the space refuses to hold an event involving Mikalai Dedok.

Why Furmanau made this decision specifically does not follow from the statements available: judging by the materials, he has not set out his reasons publicly. What is known is that the refusal was preceded by an open letter from feminists, addressed both to the organisers and to Kropka itself.

A feminist community published an open letter protesting against the participation of Dedok, the author of the book's foreword. At the time of publication, it carried 25 signatures, some of them under pseudonyms, for example "Dedovskaya Mysh". Among the signatories are blogger Volha Novik, Volha Sparaha of the "FeMGroup Belarus", former political prisoner Alana Gebremariam, and journalists Darya Hordeichyk and Yelena Dubovik.

The authors of the letter asked the organisers to exclude Dedok from the participants, and Kropka not to hold the presentation if he remained in the programme. They also consider that the subject of the book does not fit the invited guest. According to them, Dedok has not taken responsibility and has not apologised.

The evening was to be hosted by journalist Anastasiya Zanko; besides the author, the participants listed included former political prisoners Uladzimir Labkovich and Mikalai Dedok. The book itself was published by Gutenberg: it contains the stories of 15 Belarusian women, among them Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. According to unofficial information, Kropka cancelled the presentation after the letter.

The letter refers to the story of Yana Stasyalovich. In February 2025 she publicly described a relationship with Dedok that began when she was 16 and he was 29. She described pressure, control, threats, and sexualised and reproductive coercion, and later said she regards what happened as paedophilia.

Dedok confirmed the age difference and that he dated Yana for about six months, but rejected the accusations of psychological and sexualised abuse. According to him, he asked for forgiveness soon after the breakup. In November, having been released in September, he published his version: he wrote that he realises his responsibility and regrets it if he caused Yana pain. He also said that Yana might have been used by the Belarusian security services to discredit him.

Commenting on the cancellation, Dedok wrote that Velichko had raised the important subject of invisible violence in families traumatised by repression, and expressed the hope that the signatories of the letters would fight Lukashenka as energetically as they fight him. Velichko herself considers that the result was a conflict of feminists against a feminist.

The date and time of the presentation remain the same, 13 November at 19:00, but guests are invited to a different place: Velichko gave the address as Bokšto g. 4. Another presentation of the book will take place on 14 November at the "Preface" festival in Warsaw.