“Let me put it this way – I am not going to dispute this information,” said Mr Autukhovich’s defence lawyer Paval Sapielka in his interview to Radio Liberty about his client’s situation.
Mikhail Autukhovich was arrested on 8 February in suspicion to a police officer home arson in Vaŭkavysk (city in Western Belarus).
This summer the information was leaked that Autukhovich was also accused for preparation terrorist acts against a head of Hrodna region government Uladzimir Saichanka and a deputy-minister for duties and taxes Vasil Kamianko.
It is known that Mr Autukhovich pleaded not-guilty. For three months the businessman had been on a hunger strike protesting his arrest, which he considered as a political harassment for his anticorruption activities.
Ordered by President
It was rather obvious what kind of line the prosecution would take.
Immediately after Autukhovich’s and his partners’ arrests the Belarus president Aliaksandr Lukashenka linked them with the terrorist attack during the Independence Day celebration in Minsk last year: “We have had enough on 3 July. Such things shouldn’t happen in the country. A private person cannot keep sub-machine guns legally, as well as grenades and explosive devices. I won’t allow terror in the country.”
Belarusian state TV claimed that explosives and arms were found in homes of the three detained men.
As a human rights defender Aleh Vouchak said to Charter97 press-centre:
“No ammunition or explosives have been seized in the apartments of Autukhovich, Lyavonau or Asipenka, simply because they had none. An ordinary soldering irons and tin metal were seized. They were used for solder as everybody knows. All these accusations demonstrate that all these actions against leaders of entrepreneurs’ movement were premeditated.”
The authorities deny any political pretext in businessman’s arrest and investigation for terrorism. Lukashenka claimed that behind a mask of political prisoners ‘typical thugs’ were hiding.
However, experts believe that the three arrested men were being held exactly for their civic activities.
Mikalai Autukhovich is one of the founders of a war veteran organization Fatherland Defender. He refused to accept a medal to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Soviet troops pull out from Afghanistan. And he is also a fierce critic of government policies towards the Afghan war veterans.
Marriage in custody
Youth activist Artsiom Dubski still remains in jail.
According to press-service of Young Front, organisation to which Mr Dubski belongs, he receives only every fifth letter sent to him.
“It is known for certain that 8 special delivery and 26 ordinary mail letters he did not get. Letters from a former political prisoner Ales Barazienka were amongst those missing.
For his birthday Atsiom got several dozens greeting cards from Amnesty International in Britain, France, the Netherlands. All these letters were forcefully opened before they reached Arsiom.
Mr Dubski said that recently he got a food poisoning (he suffers from a stomach ulcer) and was treated with a mild pain killer, Metamizol natrii!
And there is a good news as well, if Arstiom Dubski does not get released soon he and his fiancée Tatsiana Kasianchuk will get married in his detention facility next month,” writes Nasta Loika, a Young Front activist.
