Kavalenka may face new sentence

Political prisoner's wife is afraid of repeating “Dashkevich's scenario” for her husband.

Political prisoner Syarhei Kavalenka was moved from the medical unit to prison barracks, but he met pressure in connection with prison rules violations, Radio Svaboda reports.

Syarhei Kavalenka called his wife Alena Kavalenka. He said he had been discharged from the medical unit and returned to prison barracks. The phone connection suddenly dropped when he began to talk about prison rules violations, Alena says.

“He began to speak that some documents were signed to classify him as a persistent violator. He wanted to talk more about this, but connection dropped. I think it's not a coincidence: the prison administration want to label him as a persistent violator. I fear Syargei may face Dashkevich's scenario. I really fear.”

Syarhei Kavalenka was detained on December 19, 2011 on accusation of violation of probation (article 415 of the Criminal Code). He was given a suspended sentence in May 2010 for hanging out a national white-red-white flag on Vitebsk's main Christmas Tree. IN February 2012, Kavalenka was sentenced to two years and  one month in a minimum security penal colony. He went on hunger strike, which lasted two months with short breaks.

We remind that Zmitser Dashkevich was given another year in prison on August 28 for alleged failure to obey the prison authorities.