Criminal case against Salihorsk anarchists
One of the main episodes
of the criminal case against Salihorsk anarchists is the assault on a police
station in Salihorsk on 9 March 2010. The offenders broke the windows and threw
in a pyrotechnic device. Anarchists openly took responsibility for the action
and even uploaded a video to the Internet. The reasons for the action were
unlawful actions of the local police and driving a local human rights defender
Yana Paliakova to suicide (she hanged herself after being sentenced to imprisonment
for political reasons).
The case started acquiring the political nature in September 2010, after the
assault on the Embassy of the Russian Federation
in Minsk, as a
result of which a car was burned down. More than 20 Salihorsk youngsters had
“talks” with the local KGB in September. KGB officers threatened and insulted
them and their relatives, also using the case of robbery of cash dispensers in
Salihorsk for it.
According to the local human rights defenders, charges were given to three
people: Dzmitry Dubouski, Aliaksandr Frantskevich and Yauhen Silivonchyk.
Aliaksandr Frantskevich, born in Navapolatsk, resident of Minsk, has been kept in custody since 3
September 2010. On 20 September he was charged under Article 339, part 2 of the
Criminal Code for alleged videoing of the assault on the police station in
Salihorsk. On 14 February he was presented new charges (Article 218, part 3,
and article 339, part 2), according to which he was accused of the assault on
the police station in Salihorsk, the Palace of Trade Unions in Minsk and the
protest action near the General Staff. The estimated material damage from these
actions is 1,9 million rubles. The youngster faces 12 years of imprisonment. At
present Aliaksandr Frantskevich is kept in the pre-trial prison in Valadarski Street.
The restraint to him wasn’t changed despite the state of his health (he has
only one kidney).
Yauhen Silivonchyk, musician of the Salihorsk punk-band Jurgenklinsman, was pressurized into confessing his participation
in the assault on the police station. He agreed to cooperate with the law
machinery in this case and was released from jail. However, he is also charged
under Article 218, part 3 and Article 339, part 2 and faces 12 years of
imprisonment.
Salihorsk resident Dzmitry Dubouski, a friend of Yauhen Silivonchyk, is also
charged with the assault on the police station according under the
aforementioned articles of the Criminal Code. In September he left his job and
studies and left Belarus.
According to some Internet resources, he is the inspirer of all arsons
conducted in Belarus
during the recent years.
The investigation of this case was conducted for as much as six months. Despite
the evident political nature, its figurants are charged with “hooliganism”. The
case includes seven episodes. The trial will started at the Zavadski District
Court of Minsk on 18 May.
Human Rights Chronicle
