Harry Pahanyajla: No steady headway in human rights sphere in Belarus

The Internal Affairs Ministry of Belarus has reduced the duration of short-term meetings in prisons from 3 to 2 hours.

As said by Internal Affairs Minister Ihar Shunevich, such a measure had been initiated “for educational influence” exclusively, and it is to have a positive impact on behaviour of inmates. A lawyer and human rights activist Harry Pahanyajla told charter97.org that he sees nothing positive in these changes.

– If they had increased the time of meetings, it’s clear, it could have a positive influence. And they have reduced it, so nothing good is to result from it.

– — could this novelty be viewed in the framework of the general deterioration ofhuman rights situation in Belarus recently?

– In general, as compared to the previous period of time, nothing good is happening in the sphere of human rights in Belarus now. There is no steady headway in the country, and even if something good is happening, it is usually something insignificant. There are some reflections of Lukashenka, the General Prosecutor’s Office, ministries and officials that they are concerned about human rights, but in reality worsening of the situation is taking place.

— Is it possible that these measures have been introduced in order to make incarceration conditions for political prisoners even harsher?

– We have very few political prisoners, it’s another matter that we have an army, 20,000 or 30,000 usual prisoners, and such measures of their “correctional re-education” could not be successful. For me it’s hard to say what positive Interior Minister Shunevich sees in that. A shorter time of meetings could not do any good for any of prisoners.