Byalyatski still considered “malicious offender”

The office of the Corrections Department in the Mahilou region sent an answer to the complaint filed to the Department of Corrections of Belarus.

Radio Svaboda learned this from Natallya Pinchuk, the wife of political prisoner Ales Bylyatski.

The complaint turned attention to too severe punishment for the latest offence allegedly committed by the prisoner and asked to cancel it or replace it with a milder form of punishment.

Due to imposing a new penalty and taking into account previous penalties, Ales Byalyatski was classified as a “malicious offender”, deprived of a long-term meeting, the volume of monthly money transfers was reduced from 500,000 to 100,000 rubles.

The human rights activist received the third penalty on June 1 for “sleeping in clothes on his bunk”. Byalyatski explained he was very tired and felt unwell. He also said a prison doctor gave him the medicines on May 31 that cause drowsiness either directly or as a side effect that is confirmed by official available information about them.

The reply from the office of the Department of Correctionsin the Mahilou region reads: “The penalty of canceling a scheduled long-term meeting was imposed according to the law and is fully proportioned to the offence.” The Department of Corrections thinks “The committed offence could not have been caused by the state of health of the inmate and medication intake, but was a deliberate violation of the daily routine”. Officers of the department say the inmate did not apply for medical aid on the day of committing the offence or in previous days and the medicines earlier prescribed to him do not refer to a group of tranquilizers or psychoactive drugs and do not cause  drowsiness.

Natallya Pinchuk thinks this reply leaves no doubts that the Department of Corrections ignores the obvious facts that can free Byalyatski from accusations thus encouraging applying pressure on prisoners.