Paval Syramalotau released

(updated) Presently the former political prisoner is home in Babruisk.

Paval Syramalotau was detained on January 17, 2011. He was accused of having attacked the KGB office in Babruisk on October 16, 2010.

On May 18, 2011 he was convicted to 7 years in a reformatory with a restricted regimen.

In June 2012 the reformatory administration forced the political prisoner to sign a pardon appeal.

Paval Syramalotau told charter97.org that the reformatory administration threatened and blackmailed him to make him sign the appeal.

”Already in the investigation isolation ward they threatened to put me in a cell with prisoners of low social status. In the reformatory, I was often accused of regime breaches; then they put me in the punishment cell, refused to pass parcels and didn’t allow me to meet with my family,” he said.

There can be a link between the release of the political prisoner and the fact that on October 31 the EU Council will discuss the extension of the sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime. Obviously, the dictator will again trade prisoner of consciousness, releasing one at a time when it suits him best, and refusing to free all the political prisoners once and for all.