Release of political prisoners is main requirement of EU

24 October the deputies of the Belarusian “palatka” (house of representatives) began the consideration of the draft law “On amnesty”. It will be the fifth amnesty in the country within the last seven years. Today Aliaksandr Kazulin, Andrei Klimau, Zmiter Dashkevich, Artur Finkevich, Mikola Autukhovich and Yury Liavonau are in prison accused on political motives. The normalization of the relations with Europe depends on how their fate will be determined.

According to political prisoner Andrei Klimau’s wife, she has never hoped her husband to be amnestied, but now she did not expect the term to be cut down even by one year. “The draft law I saw excludes the release of my husband. The project of the amnesty will be shortened in general. It differs from previous amnesties because nobody’s term of imprisonment will be cut down by one year”, - Tatsiana Klimava says.

Such a draft law the “deputies” have received from “above”, from Aliaksandr Lukashenka. Anatol Balasheuski, head of national security commission of “palatka” said it to Euroradio. “We have studied the draft law and have no remarks on it. 1682 people will be released from closed prisons. And 850 people more will be released from open type institutions”, - the “deputy” said.

The fact that terms will not be cut down by one year Balasheuski explained by the decision of the country’s ruler.

The head of the national security commission doesn’t know whether such famous prisoners of the country as Aliaksandr Kazulin and Andrei Klimau will be amnestied and even according to which articles they were imprisoned. “It doesn’t matter whether they are famous or not. The law says that the people will be amnestied depending on the article according to which they are imprisoned and both sanctions should not exceed 6 years. By the way, I didn’t even wonder according to what articles they had been imprisoned”, - Balasheuski said.

According to him, the people convicted of “crime against personal freedom and honour: against the order of regulation of economic activities; against the civil order and morality; against information security; against the state and the governmental regime; against special services, etc.” will not be amnestied at all.

It should be reminded that 25 March, 2006 a former candidate for presidency Aliaksandr Kazulin was thrown into prison for organising protest actions against stealing the results of presidential elections and sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment. The human rights activists and lawyers considered the trial against Kazulin to be a farce, and the decision to be a clearly political one.

Oppositional politician and publicist Andrei Klimau, who had already been imprisoned for two times on political motives, was arrested 3 April 2007 for the publication an article in the internet and sentenced to 2 years of prison of strict regimen according to the Article 361 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus “calling for the actions leading to harm of the external security of the Republic of Belarus, its sovereignty, territory inviolability through mass media”. It should be noted that the trial was closed and the decision on this article was made for the first time.

Malady Front (Young Front) leader Zmiter Dashkevich was detained 15 September 2006 and sentences to 1.5 years of imprisonment for the participation in an authorised organization. It was the first sentence under the fully political article that had been included into the Criminal Code ahead of the presidential election 2006. Already 14 August 2007 the second case was brought against him under the article 402 (refusal to give evidence) for his refusal to evidence against his friends.

Youth activist Artur Finkevich was detained in Minsk late night 30 January 2006 for his graffiti “We want new!”, and 10 May the same year he was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment for “hooliganism”.

The entrepreneurs Mikola Autukhovich and Yury Liavonau, who had been running the biggest taxi business in Vaukavysk, were accused of the fact that they had created the scheme of tax evasion and sentenced to 3.5 and 3 years and 5 months of prison of strict regimen.

We also remind that a year ago the European commission offered the Belarusian authorities 12 proposals, after their fulfilling Europe is ready to cooperate with the official Minsk. Release of the political prisoners is one main requirements.