Ales Bialiatski: ‘Trial of Maxim Dashuk is disgraceful political process’
On 7 June Asipovichy district court sentenced the participant of the ‘Process of 14’ Artsiom Dubski to one year in jail. Artsiom Dubski was recognized prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
In the interview to the Charter’97 press-centre the head of the human rights centre Viasna Ales Bialatski states that a new political prisoner has appeared in Belarus.
‘Artsiom Dubski’s arrest is outrageous’, Ales Bialatski said. ‘Despite the demands of Belarusian and international human rights organizations to stop repressions against participants of peaceful rallies, despite of the fact that Amnesty International recognized persons involved in the ‘Process of 14’ prisoners of conscience and called upon their release, the authorities still pass such harsh judgments. It is a very bad sign. Besides, Artsiom Dubski was mentioned in several international resolutions demanding his vindication. In fact, the era of ‘political liberalization’ is over in our country.’
The human rights activist notes that Belarusian authorities do not take in consideration opinion of international organizations and conduct back-and-forth policy.
‘It is unclear how the Belarusian authorities will mend fences with the European Union’, stated Ales Bialatski. ‘Policy should be consistent. And the Belarusian authorities, on the contrary, demonstrate strongly marked inconsistence. And this inconsistence causes greater doubt of Europeans. Recently an amnesty was taking place in Belarus, and the regime could simply amnesty participants of the ‘Process of 14’. As far as we know, only two of them have been granted parole. As for Maxim Dashuk and Artsiom Dubski, quite the opposite, disgraceful political processes have been held. And last year and this year Dashuk and Dubski were convicted on political grounds.’
It should be noted that minor Maxim Dashuk, involved in the ‘Process of 14’, was sentenced to 15 months of restriction of freedom without being sent to an open correctional facility for alleged violation of the rules of serving the sentence.
Belarusian human rights activists express their concern with imprisonment of participants of peaceful rallies.
