Andrei Klimau Sent to Corrective Labour :: Charter'97 :: News

The deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation Andrei Klimau (Klimov) is to go to the settlement in Krupki. The political prisoner was informed about that by policemen. The date of departure is September 22. The court of the Tsentralny district of Minsk sentenced the oppositional politician to a year and a half of personal restraint for organizing a protest rally on March 25, which was held under slogans of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s retirement. The court had taken into consideration that Andrei Klimau was kept in the remand prison during the investigation, that is why he is to spend a year and three months in the settlement with forcible labour.

Andrei Klimau told to Radio Svaboda that he is to look for a working place in Krupki region. The oppositional politician wants to work in a fire station, as he has experience in that. He believes that the authorities listened to the most “remote” part of Minsk region in order to give him some rest, according to his request.

“I think they listened to my request to calm his nerves. My supporters are people who are fighting for the idea, or simply like me and trust me. People like when a politician sacrifices himself for an idea. They will follow my call to come to the square. This work is being done already. I would be engaged in politics only on the Kastrychnitskaya Square. I would support opposition morally from Krupki. Now I dream of finding a job in a fire brigade, as it is a very noble occupation. Otherwise I would like to work in a library. A collective farm? I have never milked cows. I think that I am sure to find a collective farm with a library,” Klimau said.

In 1998 Andrei Klimov was arrested on charges of illegal business activities. Andrei Klimau was in prison from 1998 to 2000. International human rights organizations and independent experts called the case a political reprisal, as Andrei Klimau, an oppositional deputy of the Supreme Soviet, was an active supporter of impeachment to president Lukashenka. Last year the prosecutor’s office brought up another criminal action against him for libelling Lukashenka in his publications disseminated at the territory of Belarus. The court of Pershamajski district of Minsk stopped the criminal action in July, after he was delivered a judgment for organizing a “mass riot”, a street protest rally on March 25.