Picks of the week
Ihar Komlik, a co-defendant in the REP trade union trial, may be released early, according to palitviazni.info.
REP chief accountant Komlik has served 13 months out of the 4-year home imprisonment sentence he received along with the union leader Henadz Fiadynich following a politically biased trial in August 2018. The sentence was later reduced by 12 months under an amnesty bill.
- REP activist Ihar Komlik during an appeal hearing at the Minsk City Court. November 9, 2018
“I may be released on parole as early as May,” Komlik said. “Of course, it’s only possible if by that time I have no penalties on record.”
The other convict in the case, Henadz Fiadynich, was reprimanded in April 2019 after he allegedly had a drink to lower his blood pressure. Meanwhile, consuming alcohol is prohibited by the rules of home imprisonment. The penalty, according to Komlik, may prevent Fiadynich from being released early.
The Investigative Committee has re-opened a criminal investigation into the death of a Žodzina prison inmate, Aleh Bahdanau, in January 2016, his mother learned from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
According to the mother, Bahdanau died of cardiac arrest after he was denied proper medical aid.
- Maryna Bahdanava
The accident was investigated, but the authorities found no evidence of prison hospital malpractice. Human rights defenders insist on a thorough investigation of the case, as they suspect the initial inspection lacked qualification on the part of the investigators.
Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski has once again written to the Prosecutor General’s Office to demand a new investigation into the mass arrest of the Roma people in Mahilioŭ on May 16 and 17, as over 100 persons were apprehended, including women and minors, following reports of the death of a road police officer. The death was later attributed to suicide.
During the arrest and while in custody, the Roma were subjected to excessive violence and threats. Some of them were eventually released without charges, while the rest were detained for up to 36 hours and charged with disorderly conduct.
- Ales Bialiatski. Photo: Volia Afitserava, nn.by
Earlier, Bialiatski urged the authorities to investigate the alleged police-related abuse and bring the perpetrators to justice. However, the Prosecutor’s Office said that the police force had every legitimate reason to raid the Roma households.
