Aliaksandr Frantskevich* was in a punishment cell for all of June, where he was placed on 28th March. Although he was scheduled to be released on 15th June, his stay in the punishment cell was prolonged once again. His next release date was moved to 6 July.
On 6th June, Hrodna Region Court reviewed Siarhei Ramanau‘s appeal against the extension of his sentence. He received additional 11 months of imprisonment, to be served alongside his previous sentence of 20 years for “malicious disobedience to the prison administration”. The sentence was upheld.
Siarhei Ramanau was moved to Correctional Facility No. 9 in Horki in June.
The new address for letters is:
Romanov Sergei Aleksandrovich
IK-9, ul. Dobrolyubova 16
213410 Gorki
Mikita Emialjanau does not receive care packages. The anarchist has been in Hrodna prison since the end of March. Before the trial, his family sent him a food package, which they handed over to him at the prison. Upon arrival, Mikita was quarantined for a month and was only permitted to access some of the food items. After the quarantine ended, he has been alone in the cell for nearly three months now. The administration have not given him access to the remaining food, stating that he is subjected to strict regulations and cannot receive food under the new regulations. The package is currently in the warehouse, where all the goods have gone bad. Once this happens, they will be thrown away as no longer usable.
The Vitsebsk District Court heard the case of transferring the anarchist Dzmitry Dubouski to a high-security prison on June 27. There is still no information on the outcome of the hearing. Dzmitry Dubouski was previously sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for his involvement in the case of the anarcho-partisans. Subsequently, he was further convicted of direct action that was organised 10 years ago and for which he was wanted all this time. He ultimately received a 20-year prison sentence.
After being moved to Correctional Facility No. 3, Dzmitry was placed to a punishment cell for invalid reasons, where he stayed for nearly two months before being transferred to a secure housing unit for three months. Dzmitry Dubouski will face another trial, following the administration’s request.
On 20th June, the ruling for Nasta Lojka, a human rights defender, was announced. Nasta was sentenced to seven years in prison for purportedly inciting social hatred towards the police. The trial was conducted behind closed doors. The prosecutor stated that through a report she co-authored on “Persecution of anarchists, anti-fascists, leftists and social activists in Belarus (2017-August 2018)”, Nasta had “incited social hatred”. The analysis examined how anti-authoritarian activists were repressed, including instances of physical and psychological violence by the police. Nasta has been involved in several human rights activities for a long time, but the authorities singled out this report as the reason for her imprisonment.
After the verdict in the Revolutionary Action case was announced on 6 September 2022, Lojka was arrested and detained twice for 15 days. She was detained again on 28 October and held in temporary detention for 60 days before being transferred to a remand prison.
Dzmitry Rezanovich is experiencing severe harassment in the correctional facility. The anarchist, who has been given a 19-year sentence, has been in isolation for a considerable period. As a prisoner on the extremist register (‘prone to escape’), Dzmitry is always the last to make calls to his family. He has not received any letters from friends, acquaintances, or anyone who cares about him in 2023. Only letters from relatives reach him with significant interruptions. There are suspicions that the prison administration orders the burning of correspondence addressed to political prisoners in the local furnace. The anarchist has recently been put in a punishment cell again, for unknown reasons and period.
It is probable that Dzmitry is being charged with Article 411 of the Criminal Code which involves “malicious non-compliance with administration’s orders”. This article was previously used for the conviction of Mikola Dziadok and more recently, Mikita Jemialjanau and Siarhei Ramanau.
There are concerns that Dzmitry may be transferred to a stricter prison regime, similar to what his comrade Ihar Alinevich and Dzmitry Dubouski are facing. Dzmitry Rezanovich is staying strong, despite the pressure. He is concerned about the fate of his comrades from the “partisan” group. He has also stated,
“…If they try to suffocate me, I will resist with all my might! I have my dignity, and I am an anarchist at heart. I will try to accept whatever the system has prepared for me honourably”.
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The article’s picture features a drawing by Siarhei Ramanau.