Political prisoner Bandarenka gets no disability status
Disability status was not given despite spine surgery
and a risk of immobilization.
On 2 March a meeting of an inter-departmental scientific expert commission took
place. Among other things, the commission was to discuss giving a disability
status to a political prisoner Zmitser
Bandarenka. The answer of the commission was negative, which is
predictable. Charter97.org has
been informed about that by the wife of the political prisoner and “European Belarus”
civil campaign coordinator Volha
Bandarenka.
At the same time, the wife of Zmitser Bandarenka was told by the commission
that “a great amount of work had been done; they had called to all his former
places of employment and educational institutions. Among other things, they
thought about his future job placement after release.”
“I called, and I was absolutely sure there would be a negative answer. I did
not wait for the official letter, I wanted to know in advance. The requirements
for granting a disability status have become more rigorous in the country in
general, as an allowance is paid in this case. And prisoners are not regarded
at as humans at all.
Now there will be no indulgencies to Zmitser, in spite of his state of health.
He will be forced to work. And in general, right after he was taken to the
penal colony after the surgery in stretchers, he was sent to the working unit.
Why a person is placed into a working unit after such a surgery?” Volha
Bandarenka asks.
