News on the topic: political prisoners
25.03.2020 Why are convicted anarchists Yemialyianau and Komar Belarus’s new political prisoners?
On March 27, the Minsk City Court is expected to hear appeals in the case of convicted anarchists Mikita Yemialyianau and Ivan Komar. If upheld, their sentences will become final and the two activists will be sent to serve 7 years in prison. The Human Rights Center “Viasna” analyzed the sentences delivered on February 12 and offers a detailed explanation of why Yemialyianau and Komar are Belarus’s new political prisoners.
14.02.2020 HRDs demand prompt retrial for convicted political prisoners
On February 12, 2020, the Court of the Saviecki district of Minsk sentenced anarchists Mikita Yemialiyanau and Ivan Komar to seven years in prison each for damage to public property (Art. 341 of the Criminal Code), attempted intentional damage to property and intentional damage to property (Part 1 of Art. 14, Part 2 of Art. 218, Part 2 of Art. 218 of the Criminal Code), unlawful actions in respect of items the damaging effect of which is based on the use of combustibles (Part 2 of Art. 295-3 of the Code).
24.10.2018 Prisoner of conscience Dzmitry Paliyenka walks free
Political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka has been released this morning after serving nearly two years in a penal colony in Babrujsk.
17.07.2018 Human rights activists urge President to pardon political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny
A number of Belarusian human rights organizations have signed a petition to President Lukashenka, asking him to pardon political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny and release him from prison.
11.07.2018 PEN America: Sign petition for the release of Oleg Sentsov
PEN America has prepared a letter to US President Donald Trump asking him to “raise the critical issue of the growing number of political prisoners held in Russia” during his discussions with President Vladimir Putin at the summit scheduled for July 16 in Helsinki, Finland.
28.06.2018 “The more we send, the more likely he will receive some”: Support prisoner of conscience Dzmitry Paliyenka!
“Let’s try and get him the gift of freedom,” Amnesty International called on its activists worldwide in early May as part of a global campaign in support of Belarusian prisoner of conscience Dzmitry Paliyenka.
17.05.2018 Complete isolation: Mikhail Zhamchuzhny under unprecedented mail restrictions
For over a month, political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny has been unable to receive or send letters, according to a reliable source.
10.05.2018 Amnesty International launches World Wide Appeal for Dzmitry Paliyenka
It’s Dzmitry’s 24th birthday on 26 May! Let’s try and get him the gift of freedom.
20.04.2018 EU Lawmakers Deplore Harassment Of Independent Belarusian Media
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a resolution deploring the harassment of independent media before and after the February 2018 local elections in Belarus.
27.03.2018 Political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka transferred to prison hospital in Žodzina
Political prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka, who is currently serving a 2-year politically motivated sentence in a penal colony in Babrujsk, has been transferred to a prison hospital in Žodzina, according to activist Maryna Nasenka.
14.03.2018 Authorities block access to political prisoners
The administration of penal colony No. 9 in Horki, Mahilioŭ region, has not allowed representatives of the regional Public Monitoring Commission to meet with political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny, who is currently held in the facility, mspring.online said.
13.03.2018 Amnesty International: Health concerns for prisoner of conscience Dzmitry Paliyenka
23-year old Belarusian activist, Dzmitry Paliyenka, is serving a two-year prison sentence for peacefully opposing restrictions on cyclists. He is being exposed to conditions that exacerbate his asthma and denied medical treatment for an untreated wound. He is a prisoner of conscience.
07.02.2018 Political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny beaten in prison, his life still at risk
Political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny, currently held in penal colony No. 9 in Horki, has been reportedly beaten by his cellmate. This news raises serious concerns and fears for the prisoner’s life.
03.10.2017 Political prisoner Ihar Komlik released before trial
Ihar Komlik, accountant of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry (REP) and chairman of the union’s Minsk city branch, has been released from pre-trial detention in jail No. 1 in Minsk after spending two month awaiting trial in a criminal case the country’s human rights community said was politically motivated.
25.09.2017 Bialiatski calls for respect for fundamental rights and freedoms of political prisoner Zhamchuzhny
Ales Bialiatski, head of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", has written to the Interior Ministry’s Department of Corrections urging to take immediate measures to ensure that political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny is held in conditions, which would guarantee his personal security and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.
