From “Under the Hood.” Yuri became involved in the Belarusian opposition movement after his trucking business was destroyed when he refused to pay bribes to government officials.

From “Under the Hood.” Viktor is the editor of BelGazeta, an independent newspaper in Belarus. His 2013 novel “Paranoia” was banned in Belarus two days after it was published.

Still from “Under the Hood.” Lyudmila is a part-time security guard who lives in a village about 130 kilometers from Minsk.

From “Under the Hood.” Franak, who has been imprisoned three times for his opposition to the Belarusian regime, was awarded the first Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship, a joint initiative of continue reading

From “Beyond the Wall.” Sławomir is a Polish cinematographer who worked with director Krzysztof Kieślowski on “A Short Film About Killing,” “Three Colours: Blue” and “The Double Life of Veronique.” continue reading

From “Beyond the Wall.” Martina was a teacher in the East German university town of Jena. She has happy memories of growing up under Communism, and was disillusioned by the continue reading

From “Beyond the Wall.” John is a Czech dissident who was imprisoned and tortured under the Communist regime. He now is president of Šalamoun, a group dedicated to human rights continue reading

From “Beyond the Wall.” World leaders gather at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Nov. 9, 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. From continue reading

From “Beyond the Wall.” German classical quintet Adoro performs at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Nov. 9, 2009, during the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the fall of continue reading

From “Under the Hood.” The coat of arms on the City Gate Towers in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.