Protest against torture in prison: Mikalai Dzyadok cuts abdomen, arms


For two weeks Mikalai Dzyadok has received four penalties and has been put in a penal cell twice.

On May 12 Dzyadok was transferred to a new place of imprisonment – colony No. 9 in Horki, HRC Viasna reports with a reference to his wife Valeriya Khotsina. The following day, May 13, he was placed in a he punishment cell, where he spent 5 days. On May 19, he was sent there again. Because of the extremely low temperature in the cell, Dzyadok suffered greatly throughout the night and asked to be transferred to another roomю

After all, in the morning on May 20 the prisoner cut his abdomen and arms to protest against being ill-treated, and was taken to prison hospital. After receiving first aid, Mikalai Dziadok was again put in the same cold cell, where he stayed until May 26.

Read more: Lukashenka in no haste to free political prisoners: Mikalai Dzyadok sentenced to one more year in jail

In May, 2011 three Belarusian anarchists were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment (from 3 to 8 years). They were adjudged guilty of arsoning the Russian Embassy building in Minsk.

On August 30th, 2010 unknown perpetrators threw Molotov cocktails at the Russian embassy building. As a result, an embassy employee’s car was damaged. Anarchists were also charged with attempts to burn the Ministry of Defense building, Minsk’s casino Shangri-la, Minsk-Moscow bank, and a building of the Trade Unions Federation.

Three defendants were sentenced to imprisonment in high-security correctional institutions: Ihar Alinevich to 8 years, Mikalai Dzyadok to 4.5 years, Alyaksandr Frantskevich to 3 years. They did not plead guilty to the charges.

According to human rights defender Aleh Hulak, the Belarusian authorities violated law by arresting the same suspects numerous times on the ground of different charges, just to extend their stay in detention. In his opinion, the authorities wanted to exert pressure on the defendants.

The arrest of the suspects did not prevent further arsoning. Soon unidentified individuals threw fiery bottles at the building of Minsk City court where ex-presidential candidate Andrey Sannikau was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment the day before.

HRC Viasna recognised Mikalai Dzyadok as a political prisoner.

www.belsat.eu/en

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