Amnesty International demands Belarusian authorities to release prisoners of conscience

The human rights watchdog has spread a statement calling to “immediately and unconditionally” release the participants of the Process of 14.

The statement published on Amnesty International website c alls on the Belarusian authorities to immediately release seven youth activists sentenced to different terms of restriction of liberty for participation in a protest demonstration of businessmen in January 2008. Amnesty International demands that Artsyom Dubski, Tatsyana Tsishkevich, Alyaksei Bondar, Maksim Dashuk, Ales Charnyshou, and Ales Straltsou should be freed from criminal persecution.

We remind that in 2008, 14 activists of the youth democratic movement of Belarus were sentenced to fines and restriction of freedom. They were accused of organizing riot, allegedly taken place during protest demonstrations of businessmen in January.

On April 23, 2008, the Tsentralny district court of Minsk delivered judgements to 10 participants of the so called Case of 14. Uladzimir Syarheu and Anton Koipish were fined 100 basic units each. Alyaksei Bondar, Artsyom Dubski, Mikhail Pashkevich, Tatsyana Tsishkevich, Ales Straltsou, Mikhail Kryvau, and Ales Charnyshou got from 1.5 to 2 years of restriction of liberty. Andrei Kim was accused of threats to a militiaman during the dispersal of the rally and sentenced to 1.5 years of arrest.

Pavel Vinahradau, businessman Mikhail Subach, and minor Maksim Dashuk were sentenced to restricted freedom a month later. Alyaksandr Barazenka, also involved in the case, wasn’t tried at that moment. The activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” was a participant of Kastus Kalinouski education programme and studied in Poland. In November 2008, he was detained in an investigator’ office and sentenced to a year of restriction of liberty.

Alyaksandr Barazenka, Mikhail Subach, Pavel Vinahradau, Mikhail Pashkevich were amnestied in August 2009. Andrei Kim was granted amnesty earlier.

Alyaksandr Charnyshou, Alyaksei Bondar, Mikhail Kryvau, and minor Maksim Dashuk are waiting for the amnesty.

Artsyom Dubski was thrown behind bars. Dubski left for neighbouring Ukraine in October 2008. He was detained on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border on February13, when the “Young Front” activist was returning home. He was sentenced to arrest for violation of the rules of serving punishment.

Another participant of the Process of 14, Tatsyana Tsishkevich, left for Poland as a student of Kastus Kalinouski education programme. The youth activist may be detained on border if she decides to return to Belarus and tried for evasion of serving punishment.

Influential Amnesty International recognized all participants of the Process of 14 prisoners of conscience and repeatedly calls on the Belarusian authorities to free them from all charges and amnesty.