Другие материалы рубрики «English»
-
Iryna Khalip complains about police pressure to leave Belarus forever
Journalist Iryna Khalip complained to BelaPAN on Tuesday that the police were trying to force her to leave Belarus forever... -
Biathlon star Domrachava wins world title
Darya Domrachava (Domracheva) of Belarus ended the 2013 Biathlon World Championships on a high note, grabbing the gold in the women’s mass start...
- Belarus' Su-27 fighter jets will probably be retired, defense minister say
- Russia's Innoter becomes first company to buy images from Belarus' BKA satellite
- Poet Andrey Khadanovich reelected chairman of Belarusian PEN Center
- EU reiterates readiness to launch negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission agreement with Belarus
- Nine companies representing Belarus at Abu Dhabi arms show
- Festival of snow and ice sculptures in Central Botanical Garden in Minsk
- Malady Front presents annual «I Love Belarus» awards
- Prison term for driver at fault in schoolboy's death
- Vasil Parfyankow speaks in interview with BelaPAN
- Mother insists that Andrey Haydukow is innocent
English
Opposition politician Statkevich complains of renewed pressure from prison administration
Opposition politician Mikalay Statkevich has complained of renewed pressure from the administration of Prison No. 4 in Mahilyow, where he is serving his six-year prison sentence, BelaPAN said.
Mr. Statkevich and his wife, Maryna Adamovich, had a phone conversation on February 8.
"The conversation was brief. Mikalay spoke about the latest news in concise, telegraphic-style phrases," the website www.statkevich.org quoted Ms. Adamovich as saying.
Mr. Statkevich reportedly told his spouse that the prison administration had attempted to place a suspicious inmate into his cell. According to the politician, fellow inmates described him as a "specially trained former officer of security services notorious for his brutal attitude to cellmates, for abusing and beating them."
In addition, Mr. Statkevich revealed to his wife that he was threatened with punishment for "exercising psychological pressure" on the prison administration.
"Hopefully, the administration will observe laws rather than engage in lawlessness," Ms. Adamovich concluded.
Mr. Statkevich linked the new wave of pressure to his fresh refusal to apply to Alyaksandr Lukashenka for a presidential pardon.
Earlier this year, the politician was urged again by authorities to ask for Mr. Lukashenka's pardon.
Mr. Statkevich, currently 56, has been in prison for more than two years now. In May 2011, a district judge in Minsk sentenced him to six years in a medium-security prison, finding him guilty of organizing "mass disorder" in connection with a post-election protest staged in the Belarusian capital city on December 19, 2010.
In a trial that took place in a prison in Shklow, Mahilyow region, on January 12, 2012, a judge found Mr. Statkevich guilty of violating prison rules and ordered him placed in a higher-security correctional institution for three years.
The charge was brought against Mr. Statkevich because of his missing number tag and failure to mention handkerchiefs among his personal items.
Since January 2012, Mr. Statkevich has been held in a two-man cell in Mahilyow's prison.
So-called political prisoners can be released, including before the expiration of their terms, in accordance with the law, Mr. Lukashenka said at a news conference on January 15. When asked why he was holding his political rivals in prison, including former presidential candidate Statkevich, the Belarusian leader said that there were no political rivals to him there. “He [Statkevich] is no rival to me,” he said. “There were 10 candidates for President [in 2010]. What of that? What makes him my rival or opponent?”
В настоящее время комментариев к этому материалу нет.
Вы можете стать первым, разместив свой комментарий в форме слева