New ways of intimidation of political prisoners

The Belarusian regime brings new criminal cases against the political prisoners in order to postpone their release, Gazeta Wyborcza running today.

Leader of the oppositional organization “Young Front” Zmiter Dashkevich is serving his punishment of 1.5 year of imprisonment for activity on behalf of an unregistered organization. He was to be released 15 March 2008. But he is likely to stay in prison. The prosecutor’s office brought up a new criminal case against him. Dashkevich is accused of refusal to give evidence. He is under the threat of 6 months of imprisonment or 2 years of keeping in open type institution. It is because Dashkevich refused to take part in the criminal proceeding against other “the Young Front” members. The young man didn’t agree to give evidence against his friends.

The trial over Dashkevich was to begin 6 November in the Shklou prison, where the youth activist is serving his punishment. Neither journalists, nor the representatives of the US Embassy, who wanted to participate on the trial over the guy, weren’t let. The trial was postponed till Friday.

It is not the only fact when a criminal case is brought up against people who are serving punishment. Another “Young Front” member Artur Finkevich has almost similar destiny. He was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment for the political graffiti. 5 weeks before the term of punishment was over, Finkevich was accused in violation the inner rules. Now Finkevich is in the remand jail again and is waiting for a new criminal proceeding.

Oppositional politician Andrei Klimau, sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment, wrote in a letter to his relatives that the authorities would try that he never left the prison. Klimau was punished for his article on the Internet, which was regarded by the authorities as a call to overthrow Aliaksandr Lukashenka, Gazeta Wyborcza reminds.

The independent experts think the Belarusian authorities are testing a new means of intimidation of the political prisoners. “Now everybody will know that any term of punishment can be prolonged by the authorities at any moment”, former political prisoner Valer Levaneuski, who spent 2 years in prison for contempt of the president, said to the daily.

The Belarusian opposition has organized a committee on protection Dashkevich and Finkevich, heading by former candidate for presidency Aliaksandr Milinkevich. “We will inform the western societies about the repression against political prisoners”, Milinkevich notes. Gazeta Wyborcza quotes him.