Mikalai Autukhovich: There is no election, no use participating in them

The former political prisoner cannot see any point in opposition’s participation in the presidential “election.”

Lidziya Yarmoshyna does not conceal her intentions and when the opportunity occurs, reminds that the same farce with stuffing ballot boxes with false voting bulletins is coming, like it had been happening for 20 years in a row. The former political prisoner, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Mikalai Autukhovich, is one of the most prominent businessmen of Vaukavysk. Local dwellers respect him despite all the efforts of the authorities to discredit and control him. Once he refused to assist the administration of the local tax inspection, and was imprisoned for that. in an interview to charter97.org website he stated that “Yarmoshyna is the kind of person which statements should be ignored completely, she is a marionette,” and noted that he does not find it necessary to take part in the “election.”

- Recently the Central Election Commission head said that “the election is like life, everyone knows how it ends.”

- Once Yarmoshyna sent me formal answers when I was nominated as a deputy for the “chamber of representatives.” In one of the constituencies, in the school in the village of Kanyukhi, we caught the schoolmaster who was the chairperson of the election commission. She had two ballot boxes. One box was hidden by her, when she ran into her office, and the second ballot box stood near policemen, who confirmed the fact there had been two boxes. We drew up a report about that and forwarded it to the CEC. There were many violations like this: 75 complaints were drawn up. And Yarmoshyna said: it’s true, violations had been recognized, but violations in your one Vaukavysk polling station could not influence the results of the entire Belarus. But if violations are recognized, why no one was punished for them eventually? That’s the kind of women Yarmoshyna is.

- What reaction to such shameless statements of the CEC head should be today?

- When I was imprisoned, I said, and I am saying it now, that as there have been no election, there is and going to be no election, it is no use going there. Maximum energies should be devoted to make as many people as possible to boycott it. As for a single candidate, I think that Mikalai Statkevich is exactly the figure which could unite people today. But no one will make him a candidate, so there would be no election. The election will take place when Lukashenka won’t be in power any longer. Everything will change then. The election is going to take place then. And it’s going to happen soon.

- Do you feel how the life has changed? How is life of people in Vaukavysk?

- In our small town one can feel clearly that the life has become hard. In Minsk wages are paid. Some enterprises are working, and here the situation looks completely different. My sister works in a state in-hospital. She is paid Br1 million 700. And she lives on that! All people are paid like that now. Salaries have been cut for some, and some people have been made redundant. Everyone is moaning. And you know how such things usually end. It is just the first stage, and things are going to get worse and worse. So there should be some end, and it is close.

We remind that Miakali Autukhovich was detained for the first time in October 2005, or the first time for alleged tax evasion. He was sentenced to 3.5 years of imprisonment. He was among six political prisoners who were released due to harsh sanctions of the EU and the US.

Autukhovich was arrested on February 8, 2009 for the second time.

In May 2010, the Supreme Court of Belarus found him guilty of violating part 3 of article 295 of the Criminal Code (illegal actions in relation to firearms, ammunition and explosives) for carrying and storing five cartridges for a hunting rifle. He was sentenced to 5 years and two months in a maximum security correctional facility.

Human rights defenders recognised Autukhovich a political prisoner, who was convicted for his public activity and anti-corruption struggle. They point at serious procedural violations during the trial.

Mikalai Autukhovich was released on April 8, 2014.