Dashkevich and Lobau: Two years behind bars

The Young Front leader was to be released from prison today.

Zmitser Dashkevich and Eduard Lobau were detained in Minsk on the evening of December 18, 2010, a day before the presidential elections.

According to Minsk's main police department, they beat Kanstantin Savitski ad Aleh Malysheu in the yard of a block of flats on Yanka Bryl Street. Human rights activists regarded the detention of Dashkevich and Lobau as a preventive measure ahead of the presidential elections on December 19, 2010.

On March 24, 2011, Dashkevich was sentenced to 2 years in a minimum security penal colony, Lobau received 4 years in a medium security penal colony, Nasha Niva newspaper reports.

Amnesty International recognised Dashkevich and Lobau prisoners of conscience.

Eduard Lobau is in penal colony No. 22 in Ivatsevichy.

Zmitser Dashkevich changed several detention facilities and faced pressure in penal colonies. The Young Front leader was sent to serve his term in Horki (the Mahilou region). He was later transferred to Hlybokaye (the Vitebsk region).

Zmitser Dashkevich was to be released today, but the court of the Hlybokaye district found Dashkevich guilty of repeated failure to obey orders of prison staff and sentenced him to an additional year in prison on August 28, 2012.

Remaining four months of the first sentence were included in the new prison term. Zmitser Dashkevich was sent to Mozyr and then to a prison in Hrodna.