Gennady Davydko (, , Hienadz Davydzka) is a

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

ian politician and TV propagandist, included in the sanctions list of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

in 2011 - 2016.

Biography

Gennady Davydko was born in Sianno,

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 19 ...

(now

). He grew up in the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. He graduated from the Far Eastern Pedagogical Institute of Arts in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

as a drama producer, and from the

Belarusian State Academy of Arts The Belarusian State Academy of Arts (; ) is a state-owned institution of higher education in Minsk, Belarus. The Belarusian State Academy of Arts has status as a leading institution of the national system of art and cultural education alongside ...

. He started his career at the Maxim Gorky Drama Theatre in

Orenburg Orenburg (, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies in Eastern Europe, along the banks of the Ural River, being approximately southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is close to the ...

, Russia. After military service, he worked as an actor in the Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievich Drama and Comedy Theatre in

Mahiliou Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper River, about from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, it has a population of 353,110. In ...

. In 1981 Davydko became an actor at the

Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre Janka Kupala National Academic Theatre (, Minsk) is the oldest existing theatre in Belarus. It is included in the list of the cultural heritage of Belarus. Construction The building of the theatre was designed by architects Konstantin Vvedensk ...

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

. In 1997 later became the theatre's director. During his career, Davydko played minor roles in several Russian and Belarusian movies. From 2004 till 2012 Davydko was member of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the parliament of Belarus. The parliamentary elections of 2004 and

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

were not recognized as free and fair by the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and the

. Davydko is also an advisor on cultural issues and co-chair of the

Listapad Listapad (, ''meaning "November"''), also known as Minsk International Film Festival (MIFF) or Minsk International Film Festival Listapad, is an annual film festival which takes place in November in Minsk, Belarus. It is the largest such festiv ...

Film Festival. Since December 28, 2010, Davydko was chairman of the

National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus The National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (; ), known as Belteleradiocompany (; ) or simply Belteleradio, is the state television and radio broadcasting service in Belarus. From 1993 until 2021, it was a full active memb ...

. As head of the state television, Davydko personally read the background text in a widely known propaganda film denigrating the democratic opposition. In 2014 he was the head of professional jury who selected the artists and songs for national selection of an entrant to

Eurovision Song Contest 2014 The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European B ...

. In January 2018 he was elected the head of Belarusian public association

Belaya Rus The Belarusian Party "Belaya Rus", or simply Belaya Rus, is a Centrism, centrist list of political parties in Belarus, political party in Belarus. It supports the policies of Alexander Lukashenko, the first and only president of Post-Soviet stat ...

. In February 2018, Davydko ceased to be a state television chairman and was appointed to the Council of the Republic instead. In 2019, he was again elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Accusations, EU sanctions

In 2011, after the wave of repressions that followed the 2010 presidential election, Davydko and several other top managers and employees of major state media became subject to an EU travel ban and asset freeze as part of a sanctions list of 208 individuals responsible for political repressions, electoral fraud and

propaganda in Belarus Propaganda in Belarus is the practice of state directed communication in order to promote patriotism and acceptance of Lukashenko's rule. Propaganda is distributed through state media, such as Belarus-1, which are owned by Belteleradiocompany, b ...

. The sanctions were lifted in 2016. According to the EU Council's decision,Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP of 15 October 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Belarus
/ref> Gennady Davydko was "responsible for promoting state propaganda on TV, propaganda which supported and justified the repression of the democratic opposition and of civil society after the elections in December 2010. Democratic opposition and civil society are systematically highlighted in a negative and derogatory way using falsified information." On 21 June 2021, Davydko was sanctioned again by the EU. He was later sanctioned by Switzerland and specially designated by the US.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davydko, Gennady Living people 1955 births Belarusian propagandists Belarusian theatre people People from Syanno district Members of the House of Representatives of Belarus Members of the Council of the Republic of Belarus Belarusian television presenters Belarusian male television actors Belarusian media executives Belarusian State Academy of Arts alumni Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List Belarusian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Belaya Rus politicians

Biography

Accusations, EU sanctions

See also

References