Ihar Alinevich: Political prisoners are only drop of horror in Belarusian penitentiary system

The parents of political prisoner Alinevich visited him in a correctional colony.

Charter97.org has learnt it from his mother Valiantsina Alinevich.

“My husband and I are returning from the correctional colony. We talked to Ihar for several hours and gave him a parcel. He is rather cheerful, but wrinkles appeared on his face. He says it's a mirror of the reality and his case is not the worst. He thinks political prisoners are a small drop in the penitentiary system. The system remains on GULAG's level and gains momentum,” she said.

The political prisoner's mother added he asked to send his best wishes to his friends and all people who support him.

“He said little about prison life. It's almost impossible to make phone calls from the Navapolatsk colony. He's not allowed to call since October. Letters are delivered with long pauses,” Valiantsina Alinevich says.

On May 27, 2011, judge Zhanna Khvainitskaya from Minsk's Zavadski district court sentenced Ihar Alinevich to 8 years in a medium security correctional colony. He serves his term in correctional colony No. 10 in Navapolatsk famous for its strict confinement conditions. He, Mikalai Dziadok and Aliaksandr Frantskevich were charged with organising a procession near the Ministry of Defence, carrying out attacks on Shangri La casino and a detention centre in Akrestsin Street and setting the doors of a Belarusbank office on fire.