Mikalai Autukhovich has serious health problems

Back pain is caused by kidney problems, and also by a cold the political prisoner had caught while he was in the punitive isolation ward.

Mikalai Autukhovich is kept in the two-person ward in the prison Nr 1 in Hrodna. The administration has offered him this ward on his request, as he is a non-smoker. His cell-mate is non-smoker as well.

These details from the life of the political prisoner, an Afghan war veteran, have been told to Belorusskiy partizan by a human rights activist Aleh Vouchak.

“They have a walk, one hour a day. As we have supposed, his health is not improving. He has several health problems: complications on colon after long hunger strikes, and severe back pain. The back pain is caused by kidney problems, and also by a cold caught by him while he was kept in the cell-type facilities and a punitive isolation ward, as it is cold there always, and there are draughts there, and bed are removed during the day-time. It means, a person is kept in a cement sack all the time. Now his wife is preparing a parcel with vegetables, 30 kilograms. The administration has allowed that considering his state of health. For today Autukhovich had no violations or complaints from the administration of the prison. He receives letters. He is cheerful and in pugnacious spirits as before. The most important thing is that he has felt real attention from the international community to his person, and he certainly hopes for an early release,” Aleh Vouchak stressed.

His wife Alena is to have a short meeting with him in June.

Though Mikalai Autukhovich had not written a petition for pardon, his conditional early release is possible, Aleh Vouchak believes.

“Last time, in 2008, Autukhovich did not write a petition to Lukashenka, but he was released in connection with the change of the incarceration conditions for a milder punishment, that is, a conditional early release. That is why, if the issue of Autukhovich would be brought up, grounds could be always found for a milder punishment. Andrei Sannikov has been released, but it should be yet clarified what are the grounds for that.

Moreover, Autukhovich is an Afghan war veteran, has combat decorations, and he can be released for health condition. But it all depends on the world community, thanks to which these all releases have taken place. My opinion is: other political prisoners should be released before Putin’s inauguration,” Aleh Vouchak stated.