SEVEN MEN.
ONE CELL.
FIFTEEN DAYS.
In 2020, Belarus erupted. After Aliaksandr Lukashenko claimed another fraudulent election victory, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets. The regime answered with mass arrests.
For ordinary protesters, the standard punishment was 15 days of isolation. Nearly 30,000 people passed through custody centers in the months that followed.
Belarus. Behind the Bars follows seven men who first met in a detention cell in Baranavichy - 150 kilometers from Minsk - in November 2020. They were strangers. Inside, they had each other, two walls, and complete information blackout from the outside world.
The project is a documentary comic series in 6 chapters, each built around the story of one man - how he was arrested, what the cell looked like, what happened between them, and what came next.
THE MEN IN THE CELL
Each chapter follows one man. Each one came from a different life. Each one ended up in the same place.
ALIAKSANDR
Factory worker, Minsk Tractor Works
SIARHEI
Doctor, arrested with his son
ALEX
Marketing professional, wrong place
MISHA
Diabetic - insulin ran out inside
ANTON
Sales manager
VOVA & ALES
Programmer and anarchist
"THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING OUTSIDE. THEY ONLY LEARNED ABOUT THE DEATH OF ROMAN BONDARENKO WHEN A NEW GROUP OF PRISONERS ARRIVED."FROM THE STORY
BUILT FOR THE WEB
Belarus. Behind the Bars was designed from the ground up as a web-native documentary comic. The illustrations were created in layered format - each character, background, and speech bubble on separate layers - allowing the story to breathe and move on screen.
The comic was published in four languages: Polish, English, Belarusian, and Russian.