There are more than 50 political prisoners in Belarus

Starting from January 9, more than 50 activists of small businessmen and democratic movements of the country were flung into prison in Akrestsin Street.

Some of them were detained preventively, and others during disbanding of the rallies on January 10 and 21. Almost half of the detained for participation in the protest on January 21 were fined. 8 protesters were detained. The total sum of the fine was 13 million rubles, Radio Svaboda informs.

Friends and relatives of the arrested bring to prison personal care items, warm cloths and newspapers. Workers of the detention facility refuse to give prisoners food parcels. They quote the new Code of penal procedure on administrative violations.

This Code, among other things, provides for a walk for prisoners, and bed-linen, however, the administration of the prison as before doesn’t allow the arrested to have a walk in open air. As for bed-linen, people are sleeping on wood boards in the cloths in which they were detained. The administration refused to give the prisoners even sleeping-beds.

Among the detained are the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Lyabedzka, leaders of small businessmen Alyaksandr Makau, Alyaksandr Taustyka, Anatol Shumchanka, and young activists Franak Vyachorka, Liudmila Atakulava, Kasya Krasnova, Maxim Vinyarski and others. While earlier mostly young activists of the democratic movement were arrested, this time most arrested are small businessmen from Minsk and other cities.

An entrepreneur from Homel, Uladzimir Nyapomnyashchy, was arrested for 15 days. He is a former police captain himself. When he saw Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumau, he tried to address him. He was seized by Navumau. Mr. Navumau put him in the hands of his subordinates with the words: “Arrest him!”

Several persons are on a hunger strike protesting against the verdicts. One of the leaders of entrepreneurs’ movement Alyaksandr Makau is one of them.

Vyachaslau Siuchyk was detained preventively on January 9 and arrested for 10 days. He has already served a sentence and told to Radio Svaboda about the conditions in prison:

“They must be following the instruction for economizing electricity. It is very cold in cell. Some virus we have called “Akrestsin virus” is widespread there. Everybody was sick in my cell (21 persons). It’s a kind of flu. The first two days a man is really ill. Ales Stsepanenka, who turned 20 on January 17, was in my ward. We celebrated it in some way. A 18-year-old Raman Bahdanovich had a birthday too,” Vyachaslau Siuchyk said.

A lawyer Vera Stramkouskaya visited her clients in prison several times. She is indignant at actions of the detention facility administration. Administration of the prison has made it impossible for the appeals against verdicts to be tried on time.

“I met Tatsyana Tsishkevich and Shumchanka. Tsishkevich is ill. There are signs she has some lung disease. I talked to the administration and asked to take her to a different cell. Earlier she was taken to a warmed cell, but there are smokers there”.

Many of the arrested are students of universities. Their parents worry that deans’ offices would decide to make a decision to expel students for missed exams.