Andrey Sannikov on Sky News

Help to Free Belarus From the Dictator Lukashenko and his Dictatorship!

Call to Release Statkevich and Dashkevich!

Please, Sign the Petition!

The situation with democracy and human rights is going worse in Belarus. Mass media and human rights defenders continually inform about repressions, which are used by the regime against civic activists, representatives of the opposition and independent journalists. The situation with political prisoners, who are still in prison and other institutions of confinement, is deteriorating as well.

Two prisoners of conscience, 2010 presidential candidate Mikola Statkevich and the leader of "Young Front" Zmitser Dashkevich, are in an especially dramatic situation.

Mikola Statkevich was imprisoned for 6 years for participation in a demonstration on 19 December 2010. He is a subject of repressions in prison. He was sent to a punishment cell several times. They tried to break his spirit by limiting contacts with his lawyer, relatives, as well as his correspondence. He was accused of %u201Einability of resocialization in a prison" and was additionally convicted to three years of a stricter colony regime.

Zmitser Dashkevich was imprisoned for two years in a colony for allegedly beating two men he accidentally met two days before the presidential election. The authorities put unprecedented pressure on him; he was tortured and humiliated, underwent several transfers under guard. Almost the whole time of imprisonment he spent in a punishment cell or indoors. At the end of August he was blamed for persistent noncompliance with orders and was sentenced to an additional year of imprisonment. He is discriminated on the grounds of religion, is humiliated in the colony, threatened with use of physical force, including sexual assault and murder, his right for meetings with family is limited without justification.

The actions of the colony authorities show that Lukashenko seeks to annihilate his political rivals. We can't allow it!

Therefore we call upon the leaders of the EU member states to take permanent actions in order to achieve the release and rehabilitation of Mikola Statkevich and Zmitser Dashkevich, as well as other Belarusian political prisoners and immediately appeal to Belarus' government demanding to stop tortures and other forms of inhuman treatment of political prisoners and stop the prosecution of Mikola Statkevich and Zmitser Dashkevich.

We deeply believe that only consistent action and a common position of the EU member states can lead to the release of Belarusian political prisoners.

Please, click on the picture to sign the Petition!

Thank you.

Only 45% of Belarus Population Know That Kazulin is in Prison

(New Arests & Hunger Strikes in Belarus 2006)

A rally in support of the young leader Zmitser Dashkevich was held on November 1, 2006 on Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk. People gathered on the square with portraits of the Young Front leader, who was sentenced to a year and a half of restriction of freedom for "acting on behalf of an unregistered organization". In a few minutes all participants were detained by riot policemen and taken to the police department of Tsentralny district of Minsk. After identification 10 out of 12 young activists were released. Young activists Dzmitry Fedaruk and Hleb Sanderos are to stand trial.

A hunger strike of solidarity with the former candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin goes on in Brest for the 5th day. Members of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) and activists of other political parties and public organizations are taking part in the protest. As said by the head of the organization Ihar Maslouski, almost 30 names of the party members had been written down there.

"We saw the results of research by Professor Manaev that only about 45% of population of Belarus know that Kazulin is behind bars now. That is why this hunger strike is carried out in a succession to attract more attention. We have an intention to continue the protest until Mr. Kazulin is on hunger strike in prison," Maslouski said to Radio Svaboda.

Also, the human rights group "Amnesty International" has started a campaign in support of Belarusian political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich. It has been stated today by a representative of London office of the "Amnesty International" Heather McGill in a conversation with the Belarusian human rights center "Viasna".

Members of the "Amnesty International" all over the world will send letters of support to the political prisoner. Other solidarity actions are planned as well. Besides, Heather McGill informed that the Amnesty International had recognized Zmitser Dashkevich a prisoner of conscience.

In today`s Belarus there are many oppositionists who had become prisoners of conscience, including the former candidate including the former candidate for presidency Aleksandr Kazulin, activists of the election observation initiative "Partnerstva" Mikola Astrejka and Tsimafei Dranchuk, the leader of the Social Democrats Mikola Statkevich, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation Andrei Klimov, young leaders Pavel Severinets and Artur Finkevich, and many others.

Zmitser Dashkevich is Sentenced to 1.5 Years For Nothing!

(Prison Time For Nothing For Young Belarusians - Regime is Dead!)

November 1st, 2006. Minsk, Belarus.

The leader of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich has been sentenced to 1.5 years of imprisonment in a minimum security colony. The verdict to the young activist has been passed in a closed trial by a deputy chairperson of the court of Kastrychnitski district Ala Bulash. The cruel verdict to Zmitser Dashkevich caused active protest. More than 300 persons were standing outside the court scanning "Freedom to Dashkevich!"

The trial over the leader of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich started on Monday, October 30, in the court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk, and lasted for two days only, because of failure to appear in the court of most witnesses. The young activist had been charged with "activities of behalf of an unregistered organization" under Article 193 of the Criminal Code. Zmitser Dashkevich has spent more than a month in the remand prison. The maximum term of imprisonment under this article is two years.

It is not the first political trial under this article of the Criminal Code of Belarus. Activists of the public initiative of elections observation "Partnerstva" Tsimafei Dranchuk and Mikola Astrejka are already serving the sentence of one and two years respectively for participation in an unregistered organization.

"A cynical verdict to Zmitser Dashkevich is still another proof that Lukashenka's regime is not going to play in the game of law. It is quite clear that the Constitution and freedom of associations are trampled upon. It is clear that the regime is afraid of the young people, and first of all, of organized youth. For the democratic countries it is yet another proof that the dictatorship is hopeless, it is not going to be transformed or to be democratized," told the leader of the democratic forces of Belarus Aleksandr Milinkevich.

The US Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart said that she is disappointed by it and condemns it.
"We consider the verdict to Zmitser Dashkevich and the whole process to be politically motivated, aimed at preventing Zmitser Dashkevich from expressing his convictions in a non-violent way.
As before, we would consider those who are violating human rights, responsible for this verdict, and call upon the Belarusian authorities to release Zmitser Dashkevich and those people who are imprisoned for political reasons, in particular Alyaksandr Kazulin, Mikalay Astrejka and Tsimafei Dranchuk," American diplomat said in an interview to the BelaPAN.

A New Trial Behind Closed Doors For Zmitser Dashkevich

(October 30th, 2006, Minsk, Belarus)

The trial over the young activist Zmitser Dashkevich is scheduled for October 30. It is to be held behind closed doors, the human rights center Viasna informs. The case is to be considered by judge Ala Bulash, a deputy chairman of the court of Kastrychnitski district of Minsk. The reasons for holding a closed trial haven't been explained by the court representatives. Human rights activists are outraged at that.

- Firstly, the lawyer Valyanitsin Stefanovich says, - Dashkevich is charged under article 193 part 1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (activities on behalf of an unregistered organization), which violates his right for freedom of association. Secondly, they want to hold a process behind closed doors: without presence of journalists and a wide range of representatives of civil society. It's the style of Stalin times. We believe that he case has a public importance and that is why it should be open. We believe that in this way the authorities want to hide details of investigation methods. Investigative agencies had been summoning young people for interrogations, exerted pressure on activists. Once again we demand immediate release of Zmitser Dashkevich and state that his prosecution is politically motivated.