Maksim Znak goes on hunger strike, Syarhei Dyleuski released


After 25 days of administrative arrest, a member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council and chairman of the strike committee of the Minsk Tractor Plant Syarhei Dyleuski was released from prison in Zhodzina. His colleague from the council, Maksim Znak, was officially charged, in response he went on a hunger strike.

A temporary detention center in the Zhodzina prison. People convicted for participation in mass events are kept here. Journalist Valeryia Ulasik has been released from prison after 10 days of arrest.

Valeria was detained at home on August 8 by people in civilian clothes, and a search was carried out in the apartment where she lives with her mother, editor of the TUT.by portal Halina Ulasik. The girl still has to find out whether a criminal case against Valeryia for riots is underway. During her detention, she was not allowed a lawyer and was not taken to the Investigative Committee.

“The remand prison in Akrestsina street is awful. Two days are enough to realize that this is a nightmare. And they rightly say that compared to this Zhodzina is, in a way, a spa. The food was definitely better, it was warmer, everything was not so smelly. Yesterday we were taken out for a walk for the second time in all the ten days, we sat in a room without getting out, it was the most difficult thing,” says Valeryia.

After 11 days behind bars, Stanislava Husakova, a member of the Belarusian National Youth Council “Rada”, was released.

“I was accused of calling for participation in the Women’s March on August 29. In the case were screenshots of my messages. I pleaded guilty and I believe that this case could have ended in a fine, except for the fact that freedom of assembly is our inalienable right. And in principle, these penalties are very disproportionate,” says Stanislava.

After 25 days of arrest in Zhodzina, a member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council and head of the MTZ strike committee Syarhei Dyleusky was also released. He gave no comment and left immediately.

On August 24, Dyleuski was detained for an alleged mass event at the entrance to the tractor plant, where he came to support the workers together with Volha Kavalkava, a colleague on the Coordination Council. Another notorious place is the temporary detention center at Akrestsina Street in Minsk. Recently it was reported that the coordinator of the “Viasna” volunteer service, Marfa Rabkova, who documented cases of torture, was being held there. They detained her the other day. A criminal case was opened for allegedly preparing mass riots.

“We have every reason to believe that this is connected exclusively with the activities of the Viasna human rights center, with the activities of Marfa there. Today we have adopted a corresponding statement: We demand the immediate release of Marfa Rabkova, an end to criminal prosecution against her, as well as an end to pressure and persecution of Viasna and Viasna members,” says Valyantsin Stefanovich, deputy chairman of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

Today, the lawyer and member of the Presidium of the Coordination Council, Maksim Znak, were charged by investigators with calls for actions aimed at causing damage to national security. He went on a hunger strike in protest.

TWITTER