Zmitser and Nasta Dashkevichs have the first meeting in prison after marriage

Nasta Dashkevich (maiden surname – Palazhanka) – had the first meeting with her husband, political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich in the morning of 9 January at the Hrodna prison. The meeting lasted for two hours.

The Dashkevichs talked through the glass in the room for short meetings, in presence of the police and other prisoners with their relatives. "However, we didn't care. Even if they had drilled something near us, I would have heard only Zmitser's voice," said Nasta Dashkevich in her interview with Radio "Liberty".

What concerns Zmitser Dashkevich, at present he is kept in solitary confinement, where he was put immediately after his transfer from the Mazyr colony. He did not complain about the conditions, but has no hopes for relaxation of restrictions or conditional release. "Moreover, he is not sure he would be released even in August, when his current prison term ends. Anything can happen, it is impossible to provide for every eventuality. However, Zmitser keeps in a good mood, he repeats that one shall always hope for the better. We also discussed our future wedding, which is impossible to hold in prison," said Nasta Dashkevich.

The marriage of the political prisoner, leader of the "Young Front" Zmitser Dashkevich, and the "Young Front" activist Nasta Palazhanka was registered in the Hrodna prison at the end of December. They had only a ten-minute meeting for it. The meeting of 9 January was the first meeting after the marriage.

"However, it is also our last meeting. Prisoners of high-security prisons are allowed to have just one meeting a year, and we have already used this opportunity. I don't understand what is the need for such a cruel treatment of the people? After the meeting, when all prisoners were led out of the room, I could see the eyes of the present people: all of them suffer badly from the fact that they will be allowed to see their relatives only in a year. If we are talking about correction of prisoners: how can they mend their ways when they are artificially separated from their families?" wonders Nasta Dashkevich.


Reference of Radio "Liberty"

Born on 20 July 1981 in the village of Kushnery, in the Ivatsevichy district of the Brest region. He joined the "Young Front" in 2001. In autumn 2001 he took part in the guarding of the burial ground Kurapaty during the extension of the belt road of Minsk near it. He graduated from the distance department of the Slavonic studies faculty of the Vilnius Pedagogical University.

Married to the deputy head of the "Young Front" Nasta Dashkevich (maiden surname – Palazhanka).

Organizer and active participant of numerous street actions and events of democratic forces of Belarus. Has headed the "Young Front" since 2004. In 2005-2006 was a participant of the electoral campaign of Aliaksandr Milinkevich. Was one of the leaders of the tent camp on the Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk in March 2006.

Was regularly punished with arrests and fines. On 15 September 2006 Mr. Dashkevich was arrested and charged with activities on behalf of the unregistered organization "Young Front" (Article 193-1 of the Criminal Code). On 1 November 2006 he was sentenced to 1.5 years of imprisonment.

On 22 January 20008 the Supreme Court reviewed the case and changed the sentence to 1 year of imprisonment. By that time, he spent 16 months behind bars. He was declared a prisoner of conscience by "Amnesty International".

On 24 March 2011 the judge of the Maskouski District Court of Minsk Alena Shylko sentenced Zmitser Dashkevich to 2 years of imprisonment. The court found him and another "Young Front" activist, Eduard Lobau, guilty of beating a passer-by on 18 December 2010, the day before the presidential election. Dashkevich and Lobau pleaded innocent and stated it was a provocation staged by the security services.

Zmitser Dashkevich served his term in the Horki colony #9, then – in the Hlybokaye colony #13, and then was transferred to the Mazyr colony #20.

On 28 August 2012 a closed ambulatory court sitting was held in the colony. Zmitser Dashkevich was found guilty of "malignant insubordination to requirements of the administration of the correctional facility" and sentenced to one more year of imprisonment. On 30 October an ambulatory sitting of the Mazyr District Court ruled that Mr. Dashkevich was to be transferred to a cell-type prison facility. That's why at present he is kept in the Hrodna prison.