Zmitser Bandarenka not given disability status

Disability status was not given despite spine surgery and a risk of immobilization.

On March 2 a meeting of an inter-departamental scientific expert commission took place. Among other things, the commission was to discuss giving a disability status to a political prisoner Zmitser Bandarenka. The answer of the commission was negative, which is predictable. Charter97.org has been informed about that by the wife of the political prisoner and “European Belarus” civil campaign coordinator Volha Bandarenka.

At the same time, the wife of Zmitser Bandarenka was told by the commission that “a great amount of work had been done; they had called to all his former places of employment and educational institutions. Among other things, they thought about his future job placement after release.”

“I called, and I was absolutely sure there would be a negative answer. I did not wait for the official letter, I wanted to make certain in advance. The requirements for granting a disability status have become more rigorous in the country in general, as an allowance is paid in this case. And prisoners are not regarded at as humans at all.

Now there will be no indulgencies to Zmitser, in spite of his state of health. He will be forced to work. And in general, right after he was taken to the penal colony after the surgery in stretchers, he was sent to the working unit. Why a person is placed into a working unit after such a surgery?” Volha Bandarenka asks.