Byalyatski: “Canned meat already eaten, but high-ranker has not come”

The penal colony, where a political prisoner serves his term, expects a visit of a high-ranking official from Minsk.

Human rights activist Tatyana Ravyaka says about the latest letter she recently received from political prisoner Ales Byalyatski, Radio Svaboda reports.

“He writes the penal colony expects a high-ranker from Minks to come. Due to this fact, all inmates began to receive porridge and canned meat. The canned meat is already eaten, but the official has not come,” the human rights activist cites the letter.

“Though Ales writes humorously about this, it can be seen it's a sign of some events around him. Ales does not say the official will be deal with the amnesty issues, but we can suppose the visit have relation to the case of Ales Byalyatski,” Tatyana Ravyaka says.

“We see more and more new measures taken in relation to Ales to give him a status of a persistent violator. It is very unpleasant, because it deprives us of hopes for the opportunities he could have (for example, amnesty, parcels, money transfers, visits of relatives). Ales is deprived of everything. The authorities are likely to isolate him from the rest of the world,” the human rights activist noted.

“By the way, Byalyatski writes in his latest letter his life is becoming more and more virtual. He has an absolutely different life since August 4, 2011. What is happening to him is a virtual world. He got used to him and learned how he should live,” Tatyana Ravyaka says.

We remind Viasna head Ales Byalyatski was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison in November 2011. He was found guilty of tax evasion. The human rights activist did not admit his guilt claiming the money on his accounts was spent on human rights activity. A ground for criminal prosecution of Byalyatski was information about his bank accounts disclosed to official Minsk by Lithuania and Poland.