Administration of Colony Vitsba-3 charged with cruel treatment of Kazulin
- 25.02.2008, 9:50
A representative of the republican human rights association “Belarusian Helsinki Committee” in Vitsebsk region Pavel Lyavinau filed a written application to the superior officer of the colony Vitsba-3 Vital Ahnistsikau.
The human rights watchdog demands to immediately settle a question of granting a short leave to the politician Alyaksandr Kazulin to attend the funeral of his wife Iryna Kazulina who died on February 23.
“I am indignant at the position of the detention facility administration where the politician is kept,” P. Lyavinau said to BelaPAN correspondent. “The head of the colony knows about the death of Kazulin’s wife. He has received official notice about Kazulin’s wife untimely death from the family, and nevertheless the problem of the short-term leave granted by the law for taking part in the funeral remains unsolved”.
In the application the human rights activist makes reference to the Correctional Code of Belarus. According to it, persons “who are serving the term of ordinary confinement imprisonment for the first time, can be allowed short-term leaves outside penal institutions for up to 7 days” in connection with extraordinary circumstances, including death of close relatives.
P. Lyavinau underlines that the keeper of the penal institution with the prosecutor’s authorization is to issue permission for a leave in such circumstances. However, the chief of the colony Vitsba-3 V. Ahnistsikau claims that he is not entitles to accept any decisions without Penal Jurisdiction Department’s sanction, and the question about Kazulin’s leave cannot be solved for 2 days already.
“I cannot interpret this fact in other way but as cruel treatment of Kazulin by which mental anguish is being caused to him,” the statement by P. Lyavinau reads. The human rights activist believes that it’s intolerable to keep a person in a state of constant waiting without a positive or negative answer. He demands immediate settlement of the question from the chief of the colony.
