Makei about destiny of political prisoner Autukhovich: “It’s uneasy issue”

The leader of the Belarusian Language Association managed to ask the head of Lukashenka’s Administration when Mikalai Autukhovich would be tried or released.

On June 17, the so called public consultative council at Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s Administration has its session in Zhodzina (the Smalyavichy district, the Minsk region) in correction facility #8. The session, where head of administration Uladzimir Makei took part, focused on humanization of the penal system.

The visiting session focused on issues of using capital punishment in Belarus and confinement conditions in Belarusian correction facilities.

As the vCharter’97 press center leant, head of the Belarusian Language Association Aleh Trusau raised a question of pre-trial detention in Belarus that is not regulated by the Criminal Procedure Code of Belarus.

“We discussed what changes a re needed in the legislation to improve the situation in the penal system. I decided to express the ideas of late Alyaksandr Patupa. In particular, he stood for concrete term of pre-trial detention to be set up in Belarus. It must be a short term, for example, two months. The investigation should decide during this time if a person is guilty or not. If the person is guilty, the case must be sent to court, if not guilty – he or she must be released. But now we see that people can be in custody before a trial for an indefinite term, pre-trial detention can be prolonged,” Aleh Trusau told the Charter’97 press center.

Presenting this issue to the head of Lukashenka’s Administration, the public figure set the arrest of entrepreneurs’ leader from Vaukavysk Mikalai Autukhovich as an example.

“I told Mikalai Autukhovich was in prison. His problem is discussed all over the world. He has been in prison since February. He is not tired but not released. He must be either tried or set free. It’s impossible to keep someone in prison forever. Makei told in response that issue was “uneasy”, but it would be solved. He didn’t explain why the issue was “uneasy”. It’s very good that a OSCE ambassador was present there, he could hear everything,” Aleh Trusau told.

Leaders of entrepreneurs from Vaukavysk Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka were detained on February 8, 2009. On February 18, they were charged under article 218 of the Criminal Code (intentional damage to or destruction of property). Human rights activists recognize the detained political prisoners as Prisoners of Conscience, attracting attention to the fact that Autukhovich and Lyavonau were previously convicted and recognized prisoners of conscience by the international community.