Statement: Release Political Prisoner Dzmitry Paliyenka

The grounds for criminal prosecution against Dzmitry Paliyenka has been his participation in the peaceful action of cyclists Critical Mass that took place on April 29, 2016. The action was interrupted forcefully, with disproportionate use of force by police. As a result, six participants of the action, including Dzmitry Paliyenka were detained.

On October 12, 2016, Dzmitry Paliyenka was convicted according to article 364 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (violence or threat of violence against an employee of law enforcement agencies) and article 343, part 2 (production and distribution of pornography materials or items of pornographic character).

Human rights defenders are convinced that the charge of violent actions against an employee of law enforcement agencies during the cycling ride of the Critical Mass, as well as the charge that Paliyenka had published a pornography video on his social page were not proved in court and were not supported with sufficient evidence (see Expert Conclusion in the case of Dzmitry Palieynka).

Taking into consideration these circumstances, and underlining the failure of the state to exercise the positive obligation to ensure the rights to peaceful assembly and free expression, and to defend participants of peaceful assembly, human rights defenders came to the conclusion: the conviction of Dzmitry Palieynka directly stems from his exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

On April 7, 2017, the Zavodski District Court of Minsk quashed the suspension of enforcement of the initial sentence. Dzmitry Paliyenka is to be sent to the correctional colony to serve a term of deprivation of freedom for one year and a half (including the time he has already stayed under arrest before the trial in 2016).

These circumstances allow us to conclude that the authorities used political motives in order to prosecute Paliyenka. Having in mind also the circumstances that have served as the ground for abolition of the suspension (namely, liability imposed on Paliyenka according to Art. 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences for his exercise of the right to peaceful assembly, and ungrounded administrative charge according to Art. 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences), we declare:

The restriction of freedom of Dzmitry Paliyenka allows us to qualify this public activist as a political prisoner.

We demand that the authorities of Belarus should immediately release him.

Human Rights Center Viasna

Belarusian Helsinki Committee

Belarusian Association of Journalists

Center for Legal Transformation

Committee for Defense of the Repressed Salidarnasc

Barys Zvozskau Belarus Human Rights House

Belarusian Documentation Center

Belarusian PEN-Center

Legal Initiative