Participant of Process of 14 faces prison again

The number of political prisoners is increasing in Belarus.

After arrest of Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka, activist of the “Young Front” Artsyom Dubski faces up to three years of prison.

On March 3, at 9.30 a.m. Artsyom Dubski, participant of the Process of 14, will stand a trial in the Asipovichy city court.

As the press service of the “Young Front” reports, the oppositionist faces from 6 months to 3 years of imprisonment under Article 415 of the Criminal Code of Belarus allegedly for evading punishment, he got for participation in a protest rally of entrepreneurs.

It should be reminded that Artsyom Dubski was got off the train in Homel on February 13. He was returning from Ukraine to Minsk to take part in an unauthorized peaceful street action of the opposition youth on St Valentine’s Day.

Artsyom Dubski has lived in Ukraine because a criminal case against him was instigated in Belarus. The second criminal case was instigated against him.

It should be reminded that the Case of 14 is a criminal case under article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, instigated against participants of the peaceful protest rally of entrepreneurs, held in Minsk on January 10, 2008.

For participation in this rally the Tsentralny district court of Minsk sentenced youth activist Andrei Kim to 1.5 years in penal colony (he was released in August 2008). The rest participants of the Case of 14 – Artsyom Dubski, Alyaksei Bondar, Mikhail Kryvau, Mikhail Pashkevich, Alyaksandr Straltsou, Alyaksandr Charnyshou, Tatsyana Tsishkevich, Mikhail Subach, and Paval Vinahradau were sentenced to 2 years of restraint of liberty without sending them to special penal facilities. MinorMaksim Dashuk got 1.5 years of restraint of liberty.

The oppositionists are under house arrest in fact, under strict supervision, they may be thrown into prison for the smallest violation.

So, new political prisoners appear in Belarus amid the so called liberalization. It should be reminded that leaders of entrepreneurs Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka were arrested in February.

Yury Lyavonau and Mikalai Autukhovich are former political prisoners, sentenced to imprisonment on a far-fetched accusation for defense of the rights of entrepreneurs. In the beginning of 2008, measure of punishment was changed for them to restriction of liberty. On February 10, 2009 a hearing on early conditional release of Mikalay Autukhovich was to take place in Vaukavysk.