Amnesty International Concerned About Health Condition Of Dzmitry Paliyenka

The human rights organization announced urgent action in support of the political prisoner.

International human rights organization Amnesty International announced urgent action in support of the Belarusian prisoner of conscience Dzmitry Paliyenka.

23-year-old activist, "was in a condition that can damage his health", in particular, related to asthma and lack of medical assistance in connection with the injury, which the prisoner got in the colony, according to a press-release of the organization, the website of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" reports.

Amnesty International has received credible information that the prison administration isolated Paliyenka to influence him through abuse. Among the punitive measures - solitary confinement and reduction of the limit of money for personal use. Furthermore, political prisoner have problems receiving and sending mail.

"His friends held a solidarity card-writing campaign for him at the end of December 2017, over the New Year period, but he has not received a single card," - Amnesty International informs. "Fellow inmates are being discouraged from talking to him and those who do, have also been subjected to punishment by the prison authorities".

"It is extremely difficult for Dzmitry Paliyenka to communicate with the outside world as his meetings with his lawyer and father, as well as all his mail, are monitored and censored by the prison authorities. Despite this, he has made clear that he received a wound to his leg about two months ago which has not healed and that the prison doctor is refusing to treat it. It is not clear how he received the wound. Dzmitry Paliyenka also suffers from asthma. The prison authorities have placed him in work which involves being around a lot of dust and this has exacerbated his asthma. It is not clear if he is receiving adequate medical treatment for his worsening asthma but those close to him are concerned that he is not."

Amnesty International calls on all concerned people to address to the Belarusian authorities, including to the administration of the colony #2 in Babruisk, Minister of Internal Affairs Ihar Shunevich and the General Prosecutor's Office with a request to "immediately and unconditionally release Dzmitry Paliyenka as a prisoner of conscience, prosecuted due solely to his peaceful activities."

Human rights activists also urged "to ensure prisoners' access to health care", and to ensure "conditions which would not worsen the state of his health."

Dzmitry Paliyenka is a civil activist from Minsk. The reason for the prosecution was his participation in a peaceful assembly "Critical Mass", which took place on April 29, 2016 in Minsk and was interrupted by the police.

On October 12, 2016 the Central district court of Minsk found him guilty of having committed a crime under article 364 of the Criminal Code (violence or threat of violence against law enforcement officers) and Part 2 of Article 343 of the Criminal Code (production and distribution of pornographic materials or pornographic items ). Dzmitry Paliyenka was sentenced to two-year imprisonment with suspended sentence for two years.

On April 7, 2017 the Zavodzki district court of Minsk considered the report of the authority which monitored the behavior of the convict, and abolished the suspension of the sentence. In this context, without the right to appeal, the activist was sent to the penal colony to serve his sentence of imprisonment for a term of 1.5 years.

On August 22, 2017 Amnesty International recognized Dzmitry Paliyenka a prisoner of conscience.