Third criminal case initiated against Artsyom Dubski, Process of Fourteen participant

An activist of the Young Front Artsyom Dubski, who had been sentenced to restriction of freedom in the Process of Fourteen, stated that the regime cracks down on his family.

Last year with 13 other activists he stood trial for participation in January protest rallies of market vendors. In October Artsyom Dubski left for Ukraine. In his absence he was fined 3.5 mln Brb in favour of Velcom cellular service provider. Officers of the court offered Artsyom’s mother, who lives in Asipovichy, to pay for her son, Radio Svaboda informs.

Artsyom Dubski has informed, that the criminal case with which he had been intimidated right after he started to serve the sentence under the case of fourteen, was taken to court after he left for Ukraine.

As we have informed, Artsyom Dubski was summoned to Asipovichy police and was told that he was suspected of browsing the Web from Velcom SIM-card belonging to another person. A woman was found who said she had lost the SIM-cart at a railway station. After 4 month the cellular service provider sent a letter to her demanding to pay indebtedness of 5 mln rubles.

According to the court decision, Artsyom is to pay 3.5 mln rubles, and his friend 2 mln rubles.

Artsyom’s mother, Alena Dubskaya, told that court officers visited them and offered to pay money instead of her son voluntarily. But Artsyom is full-aged, he had been living on his own in a different apartment and is registered there.

They asked: “You do not want to pay, do you?” I answered: “No. Let him pay according to the place of residence,” Alena Dubskaya said.

The local newspaper many times published insulting articles, substituiting one or two letters in the name of the activist. Artsyom’s mother says that she has to answer unpleasant questions at work.

“I am asked at work: “How have you allowed your son Artsyom to become a drug addict and alcoholic?” I say that I can characterize Artsyom only positively. He had never stolen anything, he is not a drug addict or alcoholic,” the mother of the activist said.

Artsyom Dubski’s grandmother took two children from an orphanage as a foster parent two years ago. Artsyom and his mother looked after the children, too. And now, when the two-year term of contract is over, the children have been seized on the reason that the lady is 60 years old.

“What do you think? One attaches oneself even to a kitten, and they are children… I wasn’t allowed as I live alone, it is incomplete family, it is forbidden. I think Artsyom influenced that too… He had been accused with anything one could imagine. They squeezed him from this country. He was allowed to leave the house for two hours a day,” the woman says resentfully.

A criminal case was opened against Artsyom for alleged evasion of serving the sentence. He believes that he might have got into prison if stayed in Asipovichy.

“I am fined, but they want my mother to pay. According to all laws, a person after 18 is accountable for oneself. When serving the sentence in Asipovichy, I knew pretty well that this day or another, they would find something to find fault with me, and then…

The economic and political situation here is more or less peaceful here, but all my friends and family are left in my home county. I try to cal them when possible, to stay in contact, which cannot but cause displeasure of our “friends” from the KGB. Sometimes right after my calls to my mother they come and warn: “We know where your son is and what he is doing”, the youth activist stresses.

Arstyom Dubski is not the only one convicted in the Process of Fourteen, who stays abroad. Tatsyana Tsishkevich has gone to Poland to study thanks to Kastus Kalinouski Programme.

The Process of Fourteen is a criminal case under Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus against participants of the peaceful rally of small businessmen held in Minsk on January 10, 2008.

For today all participants of the Process of Fourteen are serving the sentence. In fact they are serving home arrest, under close observation, and they can be imprisoned for any little breach of regime.