“At the moment I’m sitting in the temporary accommodation center. A draft is pleasantly brushing against my skin. The curtains are moving in the windows. There are beautiful plants on the windowsills. I’ll try to catch the mood and sketch them for you :) There are, of course, many people around. Everyone is watching some TV series. But I’m busy with something much more pleasant — I’m writing you a letter :)

By the way, on the 16th we watched the premiere of a theater production. There is a club here — a space with a stage, huge curtains, and chairs arranged in rows. It’s quite nice there: chandeliers, square columns with decorative details. The director has been working with incarcerated people for many years. He created a really powerful production. And the girls acted so well!.. At moments I even thought they were professional actors. I wasn’t supposed to go, but it so happened that I had to — and I’m glad I did.

There’s a lack of emotions here. Of course, I’m happy about the sky, the flowers, the beautiful views from the windows — but more often I make myself feel that way. Not long ago, after all, I dreamed about this. True, under different circumstances, but still. And sometimes I really do manage to catch a genuine feeling of delight :)”

July 17, 2021
Temporary Accommodation Center (TAC)

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“From some of the drawings I also wanted to make finished works. I don’t know, of course, whether I will… I was thinking about it recently… I’m so tired of all this… What I would really like, though, is landscapes :)… With more sky… quiet forest motifs… And, of course, night city streets. From the unit window, by the way, the view at night is really amazing… The windows are lit, the streetlights and all that. It’s a pity that I don’t sleep nearby.”

November 27, 2020

“I’ve already seen three little cats here! They’re quite feral and clearly not healthy… Poor things… And yet I so badly wanted to cuddle them! On the camp grounds I’ve already seen spruce trees, birches, and three other kinds of trees. But it feels as though they themselves are prisoners. It’s somehow sad to look at them, even though they are beautiful. It’s a different matter altogether — the trees, streetlights, villages, cities, and distant horizons seen from the window of the prison transport wagon. You want to admire landscapes of freedom.”

July 3, 2021

“For a week now I’ve been drawing something every day :). Sometimes I do it almost by force — it feels like my hands won’t lift… But after I finish a drawing, I get more energy and somehow feel better. I’m sending you two little drawings with flowers.”

August 8, 2021

“Being here, I realized and truly understood how little I valued life and such basic things as fresh air, clean water (the water here is awful! It makes my eyebrows itch, and it’s simply impossible to drink it plain), and the ability to go wherever you want… And hundreds of other small things… Even though it seemed like I did value them…

In fact, I had an amazing life, and yet nothing ever seemed good enough for me. I kept complaining to myself all the time…

I will get out — and I will gain a freedom I never had before.

Only when you lose something do you realize its value. That’s really true!”

July 3, 2021

“Waiting for transfer”
November 20, 2020

“…This was our table for ‘Christmas.’ Everyone had to wait a long time while I finished the drawing :) Because I needed to. The tangerine lying directly on the paper was meant for me, since I don’t eat cheese :). Instead of candles, as always, matches. I left only three pieces of fruit leather for the composition. It felt more symbolic that way.”

June 6, 2021

“We’re given dishes when we’re fed… And then, of course, they take them away. You can take empty plates — that’s what I do.

In our cell we always have only aluminum cups (prison cups). We boil water in them. They get very hot, impossible to hold in your hands. But Tanya makes little sleeve-like holders out of SB, and with those it’s fine. And we drink coffee and tea through pen tubes so as not to burn our lips. Because even when the coffee has already cooled down, the aluminum is still hot.”

December 29, 2021

“Freedom for our Flowers!!!”
August 12, 2021

“I want a campfire so badly! I watch the matches burn out. I get a little recharge from the energy of the fire too. It’s a kind of pleasure :)”

May 6, 2021

“…The days are all the same… And those who’ve been here a long time say that the years are the same too. Life is simply being meaninglessly consumed.”

August 17, 2021

“The slipper portraits have arrived :) Stasia’s are here too ;)”

January 2, 2021

“I drew something for you. This is a copy. The original is on thicker paper and a larger format — there would have been no way to send it. It reflects the current realities quite well…

I had another headache… But a pill helped. I try not to take them if I can endure it. Still, I wanted to do something useful. Of course, I didn’t really do anything useful… Or wait… I did — I drew you a butt :) I hope it flies to you… But only the drawing! And nothing else!..”

May 26, 2021

Anastasia Mirontseva is a Belarusian artist. She was born on January 15, 1996. Prior to her detention, Anastasia was one of the top students in her final year at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. She has been recognized as a political prisoner.

Letters can be sent to Anastasia at the following address:

Mirontseva Anastasia Viktorovna
Antoshkina St. 3, PC No. 4, unit 19
Gomel, 246035
Belarus

Anastasia was detained on October 16, 2020, as part of a criminal case under Article 342, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order). The case is connected to the events of August 10 — Anastasia and her sister were captured on video during the protests, which became the basis for their detention. Anastasia’s sister, Viktoria, was also detained in connection with this case.

Prior to her detention, Anastasia was one of the top students in her final year at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. However, she was unable to attend her state exams because she was behind bars. No official notification from the authorities was sent to the Academy, and she was subsequently expelled.

During the trial, which began in March, it was revealed that the sisters were also charged under Article 364 of the Criminal Code (violence against a police officer). On April 1, the verdict in the criminal case against Viktoria and Anastasia Mirontseva was announced by the Sovetsky District Court of Minsk. Anastasia Mirontseva was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony, while Viktoria received a sentence of two and a half years.

Contacts:
Drawings from Prison Instagram

All images are taken from the account “Drawings by Stasia Mirontseva from prison”.

The information is sourced from the website of the human rights center “Viasna,” which has been stripped of its accreditation.

Reproduction of this material or any part of it is permitted only with the written consent of the editorial team.

If you notice an error or would like to suggest an addition to the published materials, please let us know.

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