News on the topic: political prisoners
11.03.2010 Belarusbank refuses to conclude a truce with Siarhei Skrabets
On 10 March the former political prisoner and deputy Syarhei Skrabets was again visited by officers of the Pershamaiski district court of Minsk who wanted to distrain the property.
09.03.2010 Prisoner of conscience Artsiom Dubski banned to receive parcels
The Young Front activist complains at ill stomach and asks his mother to send medicines to prison.
26.02.2010 Political prisoners Autukhovich and Asipenka to stand trial on March 10
The date of the trial over Vaukavysk businessman Mikalai Autukhovich and former army officer Uladzimir Asipenka has been announced today. The trial is to start in the Supreme Court on March 10, secretary of judge Alyaksei Tsyatsyukhin, who will conduct the trial, told this the lawyers.
03.02.2010 Amnesty International: Another political prisoner in Belarus
Believer Ivan Mikhailau, convicted on February 1, has been recognized prisoner of conscience. The court of the Minsk district sentenced Ivan MIkhailau to three months in jail.
20.01.2010 Human Rights Watch declares Autukhovich, Asipenka and Liavonau prisoners of conscience
In its annual report, the New-York-based Human Rights Watch international organizations declared Mikalai Autukhovich, Uladzimer Asipenka, Yury Liavonau and Artsiom Dubski prisoners of conscience. The report highlights an increasing number of attacks against human rights activists and NGOs across the world in 2009.
12.01.2010 Valiantsin Stefanovich: Human rights defenders deny hooliganism in actions of Siarhei Kavalenka
Representatives of the Human Rights Center Viasna blankly disagree with bringing a criminal case against Siarhei Kavalenka and consider it to be politically motivated persecution.
05.01.2010 Autukhovich’s motion for dropping the criminal case dismissed
The motion of Mikalai Autukhovich, an entrepreneur from Vaukavysk, to close the criminal case against him has been denied. BelaPAN was informed about that by Pavel Sapelka, Autukhovich’s lawyer.
15.12.2009 Pavel Sapelka: ‘Under the law Autukhovich was to have been released long ago’
The lawyer of the political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich believes that the Belarusian authorities have no grounds to keep Vaukavysk entrepreneur behind the bars.
26.11.2009 Liudmila Asipenka: ‘Let us hope the charges brought against my father are a mistake’
As we have reported before, on 25 November the Vaukavysk businessman and political prisoner Uladzimer Asipenka, was charged with terrorist act preparation. The case will be filed to one of the country’s prosecutor’s offices, after the accused and his legal advisors study the materials of the case.
25.11.2009 Political prisoner Artsyom Dubski denied release on parole
The arrested participant of the Process of 14 is still in cruel prison conditions and went on three-day hungry strike protesting against arbitrary behaviour of the colony administration. On November 24, lawyer Tamara Sidarenka visited her client, the arrested participant of the Process of 14 Artsyom Dubski, who has been in Mahilou penal colony #19 since July 2009.
22.10.2009 Viasna presents analytical survey on political prisoners
On 21 October the Belarusian Popular Front office in Minsk hosted the presentation of a book ‘Political Prisoners: politically-motivated criminal sentences in 2008’, compiled with assistance by the Human Rights Center Viasna. The edition covers the events of 2008, pertaining to the existence of political prisoners, which still attract much public attention. The book is meant to highlight the facts of numerous and continuous politically-motivated harassment, practiced by the Belarusian authorities despite demands by international democratic structures. Meanwhile, the release of all the Belarusian political prisoners remains one of the basic conditions within the EU-Belarus dialogue.
09.10.2009 Supreme Court returns case of Alexander Straltsou for review
On 16 September the presidium of Minsk city court considered the protest of the deputy-head of the Supreme Court against the ruling of Tsentralny verdict of Minsk of 15 June 2009 to Ales Straltsou, figurant of the ‘process of 14’ and ruled the verdict needed to be reversed.
06.10.2009 Number of suspects in Autukhovich’s case gets smaller
Criminal proceedings against 4 persons who, together with Vaukavysk businessman Mikalai Autukhovich, were suspects in the case of a terrorist attack preparation have been stopped.
05.10.2009 Autukhovich’s wife is forced to testify against her husband
Vital Klachko, investigator of Autukhovich’s case, refuses to give the lawyer Aleh Vouchak a general power of attorney of the Autukhovichs. Besides, he demands that Alena Autukhovich should be questioned as a witness, though the women refused to give evidence.
14.09.2009 Figurant of ‘Process of 14’ Ales Straltsou gets chance to be amnestied
On 9 September Ales Straltsou received by mail a copy of the protest of the head of the Supreme Court of Belarus against the verdict, issued to him by Tsentralny district court of Minsk concerning the replacement of the personal restraint for him to corrective labor with exaction of 15% from the wage for the benefit of the state. It was also written in the letter that the protest had been directed to the presidium of Minsk city court.
