Paval Seviarynets

Paval was born on December 30, 1976 in Vorsha to a family of Kanstantsin Seviarynets (a journalist) and Tatsiana Seriarynets (a school teacher). In 1994 he graduated with honors from #25 Secondary school of Vitebsk, class of arts and architecture. In 2000 Paval graduated from the Geographics Department of the Belarusian State University, bearing a profession of a geosciences engineer with a major in “Prospecting ore minerals”.
 
In 1994-1999 he worked as a reporter in a range of state and commercial periodicals. Since 1998 his materials appeared within the independent press as those of a publicist.
In October 1995 Paval joined the Belarusian Public Front “Adradzhennie” [“Revival”]. In February of 1997 he became a Head of Minsk Youth Group of the Belarusian Public Front. In September 1997 he was elected a Chair of the Young Front at its Initial General Assembly.
 
On April 2, 1998 during an oppositional manifestation in Minsk Paval was arrested “for disruption of a concert dedicated to creation of the union between Russia and Belarus”. He was further put to the detention facility on Valadarskaha str. Due to the pressure from Belarusian and international communities, Paval was released 2 months later with a recognizance not to leave the country and stayed in Vitsebsk. A criminal case against him was dismissed without further explanations or apologies in November 1998.
 
An organizer and participant in mass street actions of the youth in 1997 – 2004, Paval was detained by the militia and KGB more than 40 times, spent the total of over 7 months in arrest and received 3500 USD worth of fees. 
 
Paval is a founder of the outreach project “Belarusian Show” and “DJ of Adradzhennie” courses, initiator of the Coalition of Belarusian Pro-democratic Youth Organizations “Peramenau!” [“For Changes!”], as well as of the “Christian Initiative” inter-religious union. In 1999 – 2003 he was a Deputy Chair of the Belarusian Public Front Party. In 1999 – 2004 he was a Chair of the Young Front.
 
Paval was one of the organizers of the I Congress of the Belarusian Youth in July 2001, of the defence of Kurapaty in September 2001 – June 2002, of the National Campaign “Belarus – to Europe” in spring 2002, of the electoral group “Young Belarus” in 2004 and of the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party in 2005.
 
In 2005 he was accused of organization of protest actions against “the third term of Lukashenka” that were held in Minsk after the “Referendum-2004” on October 18 and 19. Paval was sentenced to three years of limitation of freedom in form of correctional labor. His term was shortened to two years due to the amnesty. He served his sentence in the village of Maloye Sitna (Polatsk region) in the northern Belarus.
 
Paval is an author of the books “DJ of Adradzhennie” (1998), “Generation of the Young Front” (2002), “National Idea” (2005), “Letters from the Forest” (2007), “To my Brother” (2007); he is a laureate of an A.AdamovichLiterary award by the Belarusian Center of PEN-International .