Zmitser Dashkevich - Belarus’ true hero

Another criminal case on Zmitser Dashkevich, assistant head of the Malady Front (Young Front) organization, was passed to the public prosecutor’s office of the town of Shklou. Zmitser Dashkevich is accused of his refusal to testify against his friends from Malady Front. Zmitser is now passing his 1.5-year prison term for membership in a non-registered organization. Now he can get a new sentence which he will pass in the same prison.

The criminal case on Zmitser Dashkevich for a refusal to testify against Malady Front members was initiated by the police of Shklou. Earlier the request of an investogator of the public prosecutor’s office of the town of Saligorsk to start a criminal persecution of the Malady Front activist was rejected.

The Shklou police agreed to take the case. Zmitser Dashkevich refused to cooperate with the investigation claiming the police’s actions illegal. In spite of that the police have passed the criminal case to the public prosecutor’s office in order to get a permission to pass it to the court.

Mikola Statkevich, the leader of the Social-Democratic Party “Narodnaya Gramada” which didn’t get registration this year, supports Zmitser Dashkevich and agrees that the criminal case is illegal:

“They cannot refer to this article since according to article 27 of the Constitution a citizen of the Republic of Belarus has the right to refuse to testify against himself. And the case that he is interrogated on is a general case on the entire Malady Front. This criminal case is absolutely unnatural and its only purpose is to intimidate the youth.”

Paval Sevarynets deems the young opposition activists are to launch a campaign of solidarity with Zmitser Dashkevich:

“As a matter of fact, attention is focused on Malady Front now. When they press Dashkevich, they press those fighters who are keeping the front line in the war against the regime. So we read this message as one addressed to all of us. We shall decide on our reply ourselves. It seems to me that today we need a campaign of solidarity with Zmitser Dashkevich, with Malady Front members and we must give an adequate reply to such attempts of blackmailing and betrayal.”

Legal investigators interrogate several Malady Front members on the criminal case initiated by the KGB against the Malady Front. About a dozen of the organization members have been tried. Zmitser Dashkevich was the first.

Malady Front assistant head Zmitser Dashkevich has been detained since 15 September 2006. One hour before the prison term was over, the administration passed five reprimands for minor violations of prison order. Thus, according to the law, he cannot be either amnestied or be given grant of parole.

If the prosecution accepts the reasons of the police investigators and passes the case to the court, Zmitser Dashkevich can be given one more prison sentence. Zmitser’s lawyer Aliaksandar Galiyeu admits his client will pass a new sentence in the same Shklou prison.

Human rights center Viasna protests against the trumped-up persecution of Zmitser Dashkevich claiming it to be a pressure on the prisoner of conscience exercised in order to intimidate politically and socially active youth. Human rights activists demand immediate halt for the case and exoneration for the youth leader.