Political Prisoner Zhamchuzhny Denied Early Release On Parole

The administrative personnel of the colony continues to put pressure on the political prisoner.

The Human Rights Center Viasna learned that in December 2017, the political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny was summoned to the administration office of Colony №9 in Horki, where he is serving his sentence. The representative of the administrative personnel informed him, that since he "hadn't taken the path of correction," he would be granted neither an early release on parole nor a substitution of his sentence for a softer one.

The political prisoner signed the corresponding notification.

In early January, 2018, it became known that the Corrections Department of Mahiliou Region refused to satisfy the complaint of the political prisoner about the penalties imposed on him by the administration of Colony №9. He was punished by being kept in a punitive confinement on August 9 (for 7 days), August 16 (for 10 days), August 28 (for 7 days) and December 6 (for10 days) in 2017.

The Corrections Department of Mahiliou Region claims that the penalties were imposed lawfully "for violations of the order of serving the punishment," and that "there are no grounds for cancelling the penalties."

Department head Talkachou, who signed the response to the complaint, notes: "There are no threats to life and health, or other grounds preventing convicted Mikhail Zhamchuzhny from further serving of the sentence in the Colony No. 9. Violations in the actions of the Colony No. 9 administration have not been found."

We remind that the administration of the colony in Horki awarded Mikhail Zhamchuzhny punishment for refusing to move into a detachment formed from prisoners with "low status." The political prisoner specifies the true reasons for the refusals to "move to the detachment" in his explanatory notes, which he submits when awarded the punishment, and demands to transfer him to a safe place. At that, the administration does not react to Mikhail Zhamchuzhny's claims on putting him in a safe place.

Mikhail Zhamchuzhny has not ruled out that in December - January he could be transferred to a cell type room for a long period, where he would be able to receive correspondence and write back. However, at the moment, the communication with the political prisoner through letters is not available, which gives grounds to believe that sanctions against him are still being used and that he is still in a punishment cell, from where communication with friends, colleagues, associates and relatives is impossible.

We remind that in July 2015, the founder of Platform Innovation, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny, was convicted by the Vitsebsk regional court to 6 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony. On October 23, the Supreme Court Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases considered his cassation appeal and appointed Zhamchuzhny a more severe punishment – six and a half years of imprisonment.

He was found guilty of committing crimes under Art. 376 (Parts 1 and 2), Part 5 of Art. 16, Art. 375 (Part 1) and Art. 431 (Parts 1 and 2): incitement to the intentional disclosure of information constituting official secret; repeated illegal acquisition and sale of special technical equipment for receiving secret information, giving bribes, and giving bribes repeatedly. Belarusian human rights activists recognize Mikhail Zhamchuzhny as a political prisoner.