Nasta Palazhanka (Dashkevich) ( be, Наста Палажанка,

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

: Nasta Pałažanka; born 1990) is an activist in the opposition youth movement in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

, which she joined at the age of 14. As of 2011 she is Deputy Chairperson of the Malady Front (Young Front), an NGO in Belarus. She has advocated for freedom and

human rights in Belarus The government of Belarus is criticized for its human rights violations and persecution of non-governmental organisations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. In a testimony to the United States Senate Com ...

despite threats, harassment, and imprisonment. She received a 2011

International Women of Courage The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

award. However, she was unable to attend the ceremony. As of September 2011, she was engaged to another Young Front activist, Zmitser Dashkevich. The two married when Palazhanka visited him in Hrodno prison on 26 December 2012. In July 2022, Nasta and Zmitser Dashkevich were sentenced for participating in the 2020 protests.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazhanka, Nasta Living people Belarusian women activists Belarusian dissidents 1990 births Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award