Political Prisoner Syarhei Skrabets Announced Hunger Strike :: Charter'97 :: News

A political prisoner, former deputy and the leader of the deputy group “Respublika” Syarhei Skrabets has announced a hunger strike of protest, informs his assistant Syarhei Halahaniuk. On January 16 the case of Syarhei Skrabets is to be examined in the Supreme Court of Belarus.

Syarhei Halahaniuk also told that the political prisoner had sent a letter to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, demanding to change the measure of restriction for the written undertaking not to leave the place. As we have informed, Syarhei Skrabets wants to run for presidency. The Central Election Commission has registered his initiative group. Skrabets asks to take part in organizing collection of signatures in his support personally. Alongside with that, the political prisoner has announced a hunger strike, demanding a full participation in election campaign.

An opposition activist, who headed the parliamentary group “Respublika”, Syarhei Skrabets, was detained in Minsk on May 15, 2005. Syarhei Skrabets was officially charged with three violations of the law – helping to defraud state bank of loans, illegal business activities and inciting of a person to give a large-scale bribe to officials. Right after the arrest Skrabets was held in Brest remand prison. After that he was transferred to a remand prison in Minsk.

Syarhei Skrabets has many times announced hunger strikes protesting against groundless accusations. One of them in Brest remand prison lasted for 40 days.

The observers note that the criminal prosecution of Skrabets in politically motivated, as he is one of the active oppositionists. In summer 2004 he took part in the hunger strike of the “Respublika” deputies, who demanded democratization of the Electoral Code, and release of one of the Belarusian opposition leaders, Mikhail Marynich. In 2004 he was one of the organizers of the protest action timed to the end of the 10-year term of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.