Social activity
Uładzimier Niaklajeŭ was a member of the Union of Creative and Scientific Youth under the Central Committee of Belarus Komsomol and a member of Belarusian Theatrical Association.
In 1998–2001 Niaklajeŭ chairman of the Union of Belarusian Writers (preceded by Vasil Zujonak, succeeded by Volha Ipatava. In May 2010, Niaklajeŭ became the member of the Union Council.
According to Niaklajeŭ’s words, after having been appointed to the position of the chairman of the Association of Writers, he had to deal with the president of Belarus Alaksandar Łukašenka who treated Niaklajeŭ as "the boss over the writers". At the same time an agreement creating Belarus and Russia Union State was signed, which was not approved by the writers of Belarus, protesting against this decision in public. It was the beginning of the conflict between Łukašenka and Niaklajeŭ and as a result, Uładzimier Niaklajeŭ had to leave the country.
At the 13th special congress of the Union of Belarusian Writers, Niaklajeŭ suggested that there should be accepted the resolution to support the oppositional candidate, saying that Łukašenka was in power illegally and had no right to be the candidate for presidency.
In 2005, V. Niaklajeŭ was elected as the head of Belarusian PEN Center, and on 10 April, he voluntarily left that position. Andrej Chadanvič became the next head of the Center.
Since 25 February 2010, he was the initiator of the civil campaign "Tell the Truth!". Neklyayew thinks that finally in the society there appeared the demand for the true information of the current situation in the country, taking into consideration that the powers are lying, hide the real situation or distort the information.
On 18 May 2010 Niaklajeŭ and two other activists were arrested and kept by the law enforcement agencies of Belarus; about 20 activists of the campaign underwent repressions. Niaklajeŭ was released on 21 May 2010.
On 18 November 2010 Niaklajeŭ had been officially registered as a candidate for presidency to run in the 2010 Belarusian presidential election.
On the day of the presidential elections on 19 December 2010 Niaklajeŭ was seriously beaten by unidentified men in black when he was on his way to an opposition protest rally in Minsk,
sustained a head injury during this beating and was abducted from intensive care by the Belarusian authorities. On 28 January 2011, Niaklajeŭ was transferred from prison to house arrest whilst still a political prisoner without appropriate medical treatment. Amnesty International has named him a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate and unconditional release.
