Belarus Presidential Repressions 2006

Belarusian Human Rights Center "Vyasna" has presented the report "President of Belarus Election Campaign Repressions, 2006" in which shows the number of people, who was arrested days before elections, during mass protest actions against falsifications of the results of the elections and after elections.

Before the election campaign on March 19th, 2006 in Minsk 236 youth activists and people representing opposition candidates were penalized and arrested for a period from 4 to 15 days.

From the date of elections on March, 19th till March, 25th - 686 condemned in Minsk, about 50 condemned - in regions, from them only 5 penalties, other administrative punishments - arrests from 4 till 15 day.

Also, according to the Committee of Protection of the Subjected to Repression, 370 students have been excluded from educational institutions during the election campaign. All those students were subjected to repression not only for the participation in presidential campaign but also for taking part in the actions of protest demanding to release political prisoners in Belarus. Thanks to the opposition efforts all of them have an opportunity to continue education in high schools, colleges and universities of the other countries close to Belarus.

Here is the List of Sentenced Political Prisoners (condemned in Belarus on politically motivated criminal cases - leaders and the activists of opposition who are serving time in jails at present):

- Kozulin Aleksandr (5.5 years) - Professor, the former candidate for presidency, former Rector of the Belarusian State University has been sentenced to 5 and a half years in a minimum security prison on July 13, 2006 by the judge Aleksej Rybakov. The politician was arrested during a brutal disband of a peaceful rally on March 25 this year and is in jail now.

- Mikalay Astreyka and Tsimafey Dranchuk (1-2 years), were members of an independent election monitoring group, Initiative Partnership. They were sentenced by the judge Leonid Yasenovich on 4 August, 2006 to two years and one year imprisonment accordingly for their intention to observe the presidential elections in March 2006. Both are in jail now.

 


Here is the List of Sentenced Political Prisoners (condemned in Belarus on politically motivated criminal cases - leaders and the activists of opposition who are serving time in jails at present):

- Severinets Pavel and Mikola Statkevich (2 years). Pavel Severinets is one of the leaders of the youth organization "Malady Front" and Mikola Statkevich, leader of the Belorussian Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya Gramada) took part in the events of October 18th and 19th, 2004 when thousands of people were protesting against falsified results of referendum to extend Lukashenko's governing and elections of a new parliament. They both were sentenced by the judge Leonid Yasenovich on May 31st, 2005 to two years of imprisonment.

- Klimov Andrey (1.5 years) - a former member of the dissolved Belarusian parliament. Police arrested him on 11 February 1998 for alleged fraudulent business practice. He spent over two years in pre-trial detention before being sentenced to six years imprisonment at a hard labour colony with confiscation of property in March 2000. After the dissolution of parliament he continued his criticism of the President, accusing him of violating the law and the constitution. Andrey Klimov was released in spring 2002 but was back in prison on June 10th, 2005 for taking part in the actions of protest in Minsk on March 25, 2005. He was sentenced by the judge Svetlana Gonchar to 1.5 years. Like most members of Belarus opposition Andrey Klimov is deliberately targeted by the Belarusian authorities to punish him for his opposition activities.

- Skrebets Sergey (2.5 years)- a former member
of the dissolved Belarusian parliament's group "Respublika" was arrested on May 15 2005 for alleged fraudulent business practice and sentenced to 2.5 years on February 14th, 2006.

- Finkevich Artur (2 years) - a youth activist was sentenced to 2 years in prison for a political graffiti on May 10th 2006 by the judge Victoria Zaitseva. Finkevich Artur was arrested on January 30th, 2006 for gaffiti "We Want a New President!" and "Enough is Enough!".

- Razumov Nikolay (3 years) - during the election 2006 compaign Razumov Nikolay was sentenced in Orsha on June 16th, 2006 by the judge Tatyana Rybakova to 3 years in jail for releasing the information that the president Aleksandr Lukashenko was involved in the involuntary disappearance and death of Yury Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, Dmitry Zavadsky and Gennady Karpenko.