Seriously ill Viachaslau Dashkevich fears he won't live long enough to see his son released from jail

Last week Viachaslau Dashkevich, a journalist and chief-editor with a long labor record, was visited by members of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

74-year-old Vaiachaslau Dashkevich lives in the town of Staryia Darohi, 130 kilometers away from Minsk. After the death of his wife last year, he doesn't like sitting alone in his two-room apartment and spends more time at his small summer residence.

After the imprisonment of his son, the leader of the “Young Front” Zmitser Dashkevich, his apartment has been repeatedly assaulted by secret services. “Almost each meter has been shot on video several times”, remembers Viachaslau Dashkevich.

After one of such raids he even applied to the procuracy, the police and the local KGB, who answered that it was impossible to find out the names of the bold visitors.

As a result of a medical examination conducted this winter Viachaslau Dashkevich was diagnosed with a hard disease. “At present I go to Minsk for treatment. I also decided to start writing memoirs: I am afraid that due to the new criminal case instigated against my son I won't live long enough to see Zmitser back from prison,” he said with pity.