Political prisoners are “offered” to ask for pardon

On 10 September Eduard Lobau, Fiodar Mirzayanau, Pavel Vinahradau and Aliaksandr Frantskevich were offered to apply to Lukashenka for pardon.

Accordong to RFE/RL, this news was told by inmate of the Vouchyia Nory penal colony Eduard Lobau in a short telephone conversation with his mother, Maryna Lobava.

 “My son said they had refused. The form of the pardon petition is not discussed – they must admit their guilt. He did not say anything more, I heard noise and the conversation stopped,” Maryna Lobava said.

Eduard Lobau and Fiodar Mirzayanau were proposed to apply for a pardon in August, but both declined the proposal. Until now, it was not known that these proposals were also made to Pavel Vinahradau and Aliaksandr Frantskevich.

Fiodar Mirzayanau and Pavel Vinahradau were given three and four years in prison respectively for the events on 19 December in Minsk.

Eduard Lobau was sentenced to four years on a charge of hooliganism for the incident a day before the presidential elections.

Aliaksandr Frantskevich, an activist of the anarchist movement, was given three years’ sentence for attacks on administrative buildings.