Case against Mikalai Dziadok sent back for revision

Relatives of the political prisoner learnt that a new criminal case against him was sent back for revision.

Charter97.org learnt it from Valerya Khotsina, the wife of Mikalai Dziadok.

The new political case was opened against the political prisoner on November 13, 2014, allegedly for numerous violations of prison rules (failure to obey prison officers, article 411). “Most of the complaints were ‘sleeping during day hours’, ‘improper clothing’, ‘didn’t remove spider web in the cell’. His latest violation was that he provoked a conflict situation. He was deprived of the only meeting with his wife for that violation. After that he applied for transferring him to solitary confinement. It was clear that it was he who suffered from pressure in the cell,” Valerya Khotsina said.

The investigation took two months, the time enough to investigate serious criminal offences. Mikalai and his lawyer studied the case on January 13. It was sent to a prosecutor, who was to send it to a court.

“We expected the trial to be held in early February. But the prosecutor sent the case back for revision this week. It postpones the trial. Mikalai’s main term expires in 1.5 months. We regard it as ongoing pressure on the political prisoner and his family. The uncertainty makes people nervous, especially when the release is soon. I won’t be surprised if the trial is held on the last day of his term to deride us. I don’t doubt this scheme was prepared beforehand to pressure on him. It is not a misunderstanding between investigators and the prosecutor. These people do not make decisions in political cases,” the political prisoner’s wife said.

Mikalai Dziadok was arrested on September 3, 2010. On May 27, 2011, Minsk’s Zavadski district court sentenced him to 4.5 years in a maximum security correctional facility for hooliganism (part 2 of article 339 of the Criminal Code). On December 5, 2012, confinement conditions were toughened for him. Mikalai was transferred from correctional facility No. 7 in Shklou to prison No. 4 in Mahilou.

Mikalai Dziadok was convicted for taking part in a peaceful rally near the Ministry of Defence against joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises. Numerous procedural violations were committed during the investigation and the trial. It allowed calling his case politically motivated. Dziadok was recognised a political prisoner.