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Presidential candidate Dzmitry Uss was granted parole

2011 2011-10-03T16:46:30+0300 1970-01-01T03:00:00+0300 en The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”
The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The political prisoner was freed on Lukashenka's pardon decree in the evening of 1 October.

The website charter97.org learnt this from political prisoner’s wife, Yauhenia Uss. Before his sudden release on 7 pm Dzmitry Uss had been in the republican prison hospital in Minsk.

The political prisoner said in response to website’s congratulations on the release that “there’s nothing to congratulate on until all political prisoners are freed”. He added that he was ready to take part in the campaign to release them.

Zmitser Uss said his health was “normal, but blood pressure jumps up”.

Answering if he had been pressed in prison he said: “It was indirect pressure through prisoners and administration. There were restrictions concerning meetings, I was denied of parcels, it’s was uncomfortable to live in a cell because of stool pigeons.”

Dzmitry Uss links his release to the firm position of the US and the EU, which demand to free all political prisoners.

Recalling how he appeared in court with a bag full of his belongings and heard the sentence - 5.5 years in a medium security penal colony - Dzmitry Uss said confidence that “the truth will triumph and insanity will end” kept his alive.

Before the release, Dzmitry Uss was shown a decree by the Corrections Department’s chief, Barsukou, saying Uss was pardoned by Lukashenka. The former presidential candidate says he did not see the text of the pardon decree. He did not apply for a pardon in spite of several proposals.

Uss said the first days after his arrest were the most difficult.

He shared a cell with people convicted for financial crimes and drugs. According to him, ordinary prison guards treated him well unlike some senior officers. Uss said several prison guards applied for dismissal after talks with him. He thinks it was a result of his agitation not to serve to the regime.

His work in prison was knitting hammocks. He says a hammock costs 50,000 rubles, but he received only 1,000. He earned 60,000 per month. The political prisoner plans to settle business issues and devote himself to his little son.

Dzmitry Uss expected other political prisoners to be released. According to him, presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau is under strong pressure because “they want to break him physically and morally”.

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