Viktar Sidarenka, Activist of Mahiliou Human Rights Center Becomes a Member of Commission for Control of Prisons and other Regime Facilities
The Commission for control of prisons and other regime facilities has been established by Mahiliou regional executive committee in accordance with the governmental ruling of 15 September 2006. Members of seven more NGOs that give legal aid to citizens have also become members of the commission. In his interview to RFE/RL Viktar Sidarenka said: ‘The aim of our participation in the commission in public control of realization of the prisoners’ rights. We hope that our participation in the commission will allow for making closed regime institutions more open to the society. Our center has elaborated the project of the commission charter and the program of its activity. At first the commission members proposed me to become its head, but the chair of the justice department of Hrodna regional executive committee stated that it was their right to appoint the head.’
As a result the head of the commission became the chairman of Shklou military-patriotic club Poshuk Siarhei Kirylkin.
Since 1999 together with Belarusian Helsinki Committee Mahiliou Human Rights Center has actively worked with prisoners. On the request of the administration of Shklou penal colony the organizations several times gave legal aid to prisoners. They passed to the prison libraries of Mahiliou region books, booklets and brochures containing the texts of international agreements, convents and declarations that have been ratified by the Republic of Belarus.
Among the prisoners of Shklou colony there are the leader of Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich, the chair of Mahiliou philharmonic society, organizer of Golden Hit festival Uladzimir Brailouski and a former head of the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company Iahor Rybakou.
Besides, Shklou prisons are situated in such cities of Mahiliou region as Mahiliou, Babruisk and Horki. Mahiliou, Babruisk and district capitals also have corrective labor facilities. Artur Finkevich, another leader of Young Front, spends his term of personal restraint in such facility in Mahiliou.
