The 22-year-old Hrodna resident, one of the convicted in so called anarchists’ case, phoned home on February 4, 2012.
The talk lasted about 10 minutes. “He has just phoned us! Today is the first day he has started working after spending a week with bronchitis in prison hospital. But he has not completely recovered yet,” his mother Viyaleta Prakapenka told Belsat TV.
According to Artsiom Prakapenka, it is bitterly cold in wards and prison workshops. Consequently, a lot of prisoners have lapsed into ilnesses. The young man asked his mother to hand any vitamins over to him.
“That aside, nothing changed, he said. Artsiom reads science journal “Popular Mechanic Engineering”. Earlier he was hardly enthusiastic about it but now he asked to be written for. His voice was cheer. “Mother, I am sure everything will come right!” he said in farewell,” Mrs Prakapenka said.
Artsiom Prakapenka was born in Hrodna. After leaving school he entered the Belarusian State Economic University. On May 18, 2011 Babruysk court sentenced activists Yauhen Vaskovich, Pavel Syramolatau and Artsiom Prakapenka to different terms of imprisonment (up to 7 years). Based on articles 218(3) and 339(2) of the Belarusian Criminal Code, the three men were charged with “intended acts of vandalism“ and “purposeful acts causing major damage“. They were adjudged guilty in arsoning the local building of the KGB: on the night of 16th/17th October, 2010 it was pelted with Molotov cocktails. At the moment Artsiom Prakapenka is serving his term in Shklou penal colony No 17 (Mahiliou region).
