Mikhail Zhemchuzhny: Three Attempted Attacks Made Against Me

In his letters the political prisoner told about confinement conditions.

Meanwhile, Haretski ROVD is about to receive a statement to initiate the criminal case upon the threat posed to life and health of Mikhail Zhemchuzhny: palitviazni.info informs.

Since the beginning of August 2017, the Administration of colony No. 9, the political prisoner serves his sentence in, has been punishing Mikhail Zhemchuzhny for refusal to join the squad of prisoners with "low status". It causes repeated penalties with an isolation ward or a ward-type room.

As is known, Mikhail has recently suffered an attack in the penal colony.

- Zhemchuzhny wrote that it was the third attempted attack against him, civil rights defender Andrei Bandarenka who communicate with Mikhail says. - Earlier it was possible to avoid provocations, because other prisoners managed to warn him. However, after February 8 (the release from the ward-type room) no letters have been received from him. The other day the lawyer is going to visit him. Perhaps, new information will be available."

According to Andrei Bandarenka, in connection with this situation they have directed the address to the Department of Corrections, the complaint to the Prosecutor on Supervision and the statement on initiation of the criminal case upon threat to life and health of Mikhail Zhemchuzhny at Horki police station.

"As a rule, the Department of Corrections says that we are not his relatives and cannot exercise protection of Mikhail's rights, he adds. - According to them, only relatives can defend a person. If there are none and no money for a lawyer, prisoners have no rights at all. As for the Horki ROVD, we filed a statement a week ago, no response has been received yet."

It will be recalled that in July 2015 Mikhail Zhemchuzhny was sentenced to 6 years in the maximum security penal colony. After consideration of the appeal on October 26 the Judicial Chamber on Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court upgraded punishment - six and a half years in prison.

Belarusian civil rights defenders have recognized him as a political prisoner.