A whole company of actors in Belarus has resigned after their director was fired for participating in political protests.
Pavel Latushka, General Director of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre, spoke out against the government after two people were killed and thousands detained by police during turmoil over President Alexander Lukashenko's disputed election victory last week.
Latushka previously served in Lukashenko's government as ambassador to Poland, France and Spain and as the spokesman for the foreign ministry.
He told Reuters he considered it his "moral duty" to protest against the violence.
The company actors theatrically quit after their director was sacked, slamming their resignation letters down on a stage in front of Belarus' Culture Minister Yury Bondar.
"We agreed straight away that if they fire the director we’ll leave straight after him," actor Sergei Chub said.