Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok sentenced to one more year in prison

Political prisoner Mikalai Dziadok has been sentenced to one more year of imprisonment as a result of a trial that ended yesterday in a prison in Mahiliou. He was accused of violating prison rules under Article 411 of the Criminal Code. As a result, Mikalai Dziadok will have to spend one year and three more days in penal colony.

The prisoner was charged with 16 violations, the main of which was wearing a tracksuit instead of prison uniform.

An open trial was attended by the political prisoner’s father Aliaksandr Dziadok and his wife Valeryia Khotsina. According to Valeryia, Aliaksandr Dziadok requested to be allowed to represent his son in the proceedings. However, Judge Ihar Shvedau of the Leninski District Court of Mahiliou rejected the request, but allowed to him speak at the trial as a witness.

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On 27 May 2011, Mikalai Dziadok, an activist of the anarchist movement, was convicted by the Court of Minsk’s Zavodski district under Part 2 of Art. 339 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism) to 4.5 years of imprisonment. The activist pleaded not guilty and refused to sign a petition for clemency.

In late May 2012, Mikalai Dziadok was transferred to cell-type premises for six months. Prior to that, he was repeatedly forced to write a clemency petition. During his stay in Mahiliou colony No. 15 and Shklou colony No. 17, Mikalai received more than 10 penalties on trumped-up charges.

On 4 December 2012, it was announced that a special committee of the colony decided to transfer Mikalai Dziadok to prison for numerous penalties.

In November 2014, three months before the expiration of the term, Mikalai Dziadok faced new criminal charges under article 411 of the Criminal Code for “violation of serving the punishment”. The investigation lasted for two months, and the case was returned for reinvestigation by the prosecutor for another month.

Similarly, the authorities punished former political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich. On 24 March 2011, the Young Front leader was sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a penal colony for alleged hooliganism. On 28 August 2012, he was convicted again for “willful disobedience to the requirements of the prison administration” under article 411 of the Criminal Code.