Stefanovich: Pressure on political prisoners amounts to tortures

Pressure on political prisoners to make them write petitions for pardon will be viewed as torture.

The deputy head of Vyasna human rights center Valyantsin Stefanovich comments on the release of Andrei Sannikov and Zmitser Bandarenka, as well as the situation with the prospects of release of other political prisoners.

“We are viewing their release as the first step of the Belarusian authorities, made as a result of the EU sanctions on the internal political situation in the country. As it seems to us, there is a desire of the authorities to extend in time the process of freeing other political prisoners, and probably to tie it with the upcoming presidential election.

Our position in the issue of political prisoners remains the same.

Firstly, we are advocate immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners.

Secondly, we express serious concern as it is possible that administration of penitentiaries exert pressure on other political prisoners with the aim to receive petitions for pardon from them. As we know, such things happened last year: pressure was exerted, direct or indirect, through other prisoners. We find this practice absolutely intolerable. And such pressure would be viewed as torture against the people who are still remaining in penitentiaries.”

As Vyasna human rights center reminds, under the pressure of the international community the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov was released from the colony Vitsba-3 on April 14. He had been sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment in a maximum security colony. On April 15 a coordinator of “European Belarus” campaign, an electioneering agent of the presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, Zmitser Bandarenka, sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment in a standard regime penal colony, was released from Mahilyou colony Nr 15.

For today there are 13 political prisoners in Belarus: Mikalai Autukhovich, Mikola Statkevich, Zmitser Dashkevich, Eduard Lobau, Paval Sevyarynets, Ales Byalyatski, Syarhei Kavalenka, Mikalai Dzyadok, Alyaksandr Frantskevich, Ihar Alinevich, Yauhen Vaskovich, Artsyom Prakapenka, Pavel Syramalotau.