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Imprisoned Zmitser Dashkevich turns 31

 

Dzmitry Dashkevich, leader of an opposition youth organization called Malady Front who was sentenced to two years in prison in March 2011, turned 31 years on July 20.

Mr. Dashkevich joined Malady Front some 12 years ago to become its leader in 2004.

In the 2006 presidential election, Mr. Dashkevich was part of the campaign team of Alyaksandr Milinkevich, united opposition forces’ common candidate. He was also one of the leaders of young protesters who camped in Minsk’s central Kastrychnitskaya Square for several days safter the presidential poll.

Later in 2006, Mr. Dashkevich was sentenced to 18 months to prison on a charge of running an unregistered organization, which was introduced to the Criminal Code shortly before the presidential election. The justice ministry had repeatedly denied state registration to Malady Front under various pretexts.

While serving his prison term in the correctional institution in Shklow, Mahilyow region, the activist was charged with refusing to provide a witness statement and sentenced to a fine. He was granted early release in January 2008, upon which he continued his political activity.

On March 24, 2011, a district judge in Minsk sentenced Mr. Dashkevich to two years in a minimum-security correctional institution, finding him guilty of "especially malicious hooliganism."

The man was arrested in Minsk on December 18, 2010, on the eve of a scheduled large-scale post-election demonstration, for allegedly beating up two passers-by.

Speaking during his trial, Mr. Dashkevich said that the incident was a provocation orchestrated by authorities and accused the two alleged victims of giving false testimony. In September 2011, he refused an offer of freedom in exchange for asking Alyaksandr Lukashenka for a presidential pardon.

In February 2012, Mr. Dashkevich was placed in disciplinary confinement twice. He had previously been subjected to such punishment at least 10 times.

Earlier this week, it became known that the activist had been charged with persistently disobeying the prison administration`s orders, a charge that may lead to the extension of his prison sentence by one year.

Amnesty International gave him twice the status of prisoner of conscience.

“He has never betrayed his principles or beliefs whatever circumstances he was in,” Vital Rymashewski, co-chairman of Belarusian Christian Democracy, said in an interview with BelaPAN. “I think that Dashkevich has already become one of the landmark figures on the Belarusian political scene of the 2000s.”

“Zmitser is a high-principled person. He believes in God and what he is doing,” said opposition political Paval Sevyarynets, whom Mr. Dashkevich succeeded in the post of chair of Malady Front. “He is one of a rare breed of people with exceptional courage."

“Everybody knows that Dashkevich is innocent,” said Mr. Sevyarynets, urging the Belarusian and international pro-democratic community to struggle for his release. //BelaPAN