Mikhail Zhamchuzhny Sent To Punitive Confinement Again

This is already the 24th punishment imposed on the political prisoner in the Horki colony.

The Human Rights Center Viasna has learned that on March 15, political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny received another penalty – seven days in a punitive confinement, the site of the HRC Viasna reports.

This is the 24th punishment imposed on the political prisoner since August 2017 – the time of his transfer to the colony No. 9 in Horki.

We remind that Mikhail Zhamchuzhny’s problems began after his transfer to the Horki colony, where, with the administration's acquiescence, unbearable conditions for serving his sentence were created, a persistent campaign against him was organized, connected with the establishment of informal relations among prisoners. The administration recognized his constant refusals to join the detachment formed of convicts with "low status" as formal grounds for punishing. The political prisoner really refused to do it, however, every time he substantiated his refusals and asked the administration to provide him with safe conditions.

It should be noted that over the past month, there have been some changes in Mikhail Zhamchuzhny’s situation regarding serving the punishment. So, on March 1, after another ten days in the punitive confinement, the colony chief told the prisoner that he could go to the regular detachment No. 3, since supposedly "everything was fine" (so, the status issues had been resolved). However, his appearance in this detachment caused a negative reaction from the other convicts. To avoid conflict, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny left the detachment and again was sent to the punitive confinement for ten days.

While servicing the punishment, the political prisoner was made aware of the document signed by the colony chief, that he was offered a safe place, but "within the detachment 3". After another ten days in a punitive confinement the colony head repeated to Mikhail Zhamchuzhny that "everything was fine" again and sent him to the detachment number 3. The situation repeated itself, and the political prisoner refused to stay in the detachment again to avoid conflict with prisoners. After that I got three, and then seven days, in the punitive confinement. As a result, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny wrote to the head of the colony that he would enter detachment 3, if the administration coordinated his presence there with other prisoners. In the coming days, when the seven-day sentence is over, the situation will become clear.

It also became known that Mikhail Zhamchuzhny received an answer from the State Department for the Execution of Sentences, where he had applied with a request to transfer him to serve the sentence to another colony. However, the State Department for the Execution of Sentences backslided on dealing with the problem and in the letter noted that the issue of transferring to another place was to be decided by the colony chief. Mikhail Zhamchuzhny intends to apply to him with the corresponding request in the near future.

An unexplainable position was taken by the Mahiliou region prosecutor's office, which had considered Zhamchuzhny’s complaint. In the letter, received by the political prisoner, the regional prosecutor's office indicated that they would consider his appeals after paying the state fee. Human rights defenders intend to deal with this situation separately.

Mikhail Zhamchuzhny still does not receive correspondence and cannot write letters himself. Even the registered letters that previously were handed over to the political prisoner in the short intervals between his staying in the punitive confinement do not reach him now.

Despite the difficult situation, Zhamchuzhny intends to continue appealing against the decisions of the Horki district court on March 13 (four penalties: one month in a ward-type room from September 4, ten days of the punitive confinement – on October 5 and October 16, five days of the punitive confinement - October 26) and March 16 (three days of the punitive confinement on 24 January) at the cassation instance – the Mahiliou Region Court.