Ninety-fifth

"Ninety-Five" is an inside account of one of the most tragic and turning points in the modern history of Belarus. The author, Sergei Navumchyk, a deputy of the Supreme Council of the 12th convocation and coordinator of the Belarusian Popular Front Opposition, tells about the last hope of national revival, about violence, repression, and the path to authoritarianism. This book is a document of the times, an attempt to make sense of the past, and a warning about the future. An important read for anyone who wants to understand how Belarus lost democracy.

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In 1995, the first referendum was held in Belarus, which eliminated the status of national symbols as state symbols, ghettoized the language, tied the country to Russia, and opened the door to unlimited power for the president.

The book by Sergei Navumchyk, a deputy of the first parliament of independent Belarus, tells the story of the dramatic year 1995. Including the beating of opposition BPF deputies in the Oval Hall of the Government House and the anti-constitutional referendum that put an end to the last wave of national revival and opened the way to the establishment of a pro-Russian dictatorial regime.

Sergey Navumchyk Born in 1961 in Pastavy. In 1964, he moved to Vitebsk with his parents. He graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the Belarusian State University, served in the army, and worked in the Vitebsk regional newspaper. He published articles in defense of the architectural heritage of Vitebsk. In 1988, he initiated a public campaign against the construction of the Vitebsk NPP, participated in the founding meeting of the "Martyrology" society and the Belarusian Popular Front on October 19, 1988.
From March 1990 to January 1996 - deputy of the Supreme Council of Belarus of the 12th convocation, coordinator of the parliamentary opposition of the Belarusian Popular Front. Participated in the development and adoption of the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Belarus, the preparation of bills for the extraordinary session of the Supreme Council on August 24–25, 1991, at which the Independence of Belarus was restored. Author of a number of bills. Participated in the hunger strike of the deputies of the Opposition of the Belarusian Popular Front on April 11–12, 1995 against the so-called referendum initiated by Lukashenko on the elimination of the status of the Belarusian language as the only state language, the deprivation of the Pahon coat of arms and the white-red-white flag of the status of state symbols, economic integration with Russia and the right of the president to dissolve parliament. He was one of the founders of the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee.
In 1996, he received political asylum in the United States. From 1999 to 2024, he was an employee of Radio Liberty. Member of the Council of the Belarusian People's Republic and the Belarusian PEN, laureate of the Ales Adamovich Literary Prize. In the series "Liberty Library. 21st Century" he published several books about the modern history of Belarus.