Britain, Anarchist Federation, Organise! #80 - Teddy bears and Anarchy: Political Prisoners, Freedom of Speech & State Repression in Europe's Last Dictatorship of Belarus

On 24th March, despite the frost, lack of publicity and preventive arrests of opposition 
activists in the days before the protest, about 2,000 people marched through the centre of 
the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Many participants had portraits of arrested anarchists 
Dzmitry Dashkevich, Mikalaj Statkevich, Mikalaj Autukhovich and Ales Bialatski. --- They 
were commemorating Freedom Day, the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first, 
short-lived independent Belarusian state. State special forces detained demonstrators who 
were carrying portraits of political prisoners; activists say about ten opposition 
supporters and independent journalists were detained during a protest march. Several 
activists were arrested on the eve of the action, and there were detentions in other 
regions too where protests had not been granted permission (in Belarus gathering without a 
permit is illegal).

This is just the latest episode in a long history of
state repression, forced labour
and blocks on freedom of speech
in the country which is referred to
as ?Europe's last dictatorship?.

Belarusian anti-authoritarian
activists; Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai
Dziadok, Artsiom Prakapenka,
Pavel Syramolatau, Aliaksandr
Frantskievich, Jauhen Vas?kovich
were sentenced to three to eight
years in prison for a series of at-
tacks on state and capital sym-
bols. In October 2011 they were
amongst 350 people acknowl-
edged as ?political prisoners? by
rights-watch organisations. This
improved their chances to be
freed, as the President of Bela-
rus, Alexander Lukashenko, faces
pressure from the EU to free all
political prisoners. Lukashenko
has stated that he will free only
those who write a petition for
pardon, admitting their guilt and
asking him personally for mercy.

Five of the remaining imprisoned
activists have refused to sign,
whilst another signed it under
pressure but remains in prison.
All the remaining ?political prison-
ers? are under pressure from the
prison authorities to sign. Meth-
ods to attempt to force them to
do so include; transfers to other
penal institutions, preventing
food supplies coming in, prevent-
ing and limiting visits from rela-
tives, denying phone calls, delays
and gaps in the receipt of letters,
solitary confinement, transfer
to a penal facility with a ?special
regime?.

The anarchist federations that
met together at the IAF Con-
gress in St. Imier, Switzerland
strongly oppose the fact that our
comrades are now being traded
for benefits from the EU and
condemn the pressure that they
have been experiencing. We call
on everybody to protest against
these tortures and demand the
immediate liberation of all politi-
cal prisoners of Belarus, including
anarchists and democracy cam-
paigners.

More recently, despite the wel-
come release of Pavel Syramola-
tau in September 2012, 5 com-
rades supported by the Anarchist
Black Cross are still in Belarusian
jails facing years of incarceration
since being convicted of a range
of crimes in 2011.

Artsiom Prakapenka was sent
down for an attack on the KGB
headquarters in Bobruisk, in soli-
darity with anarchists arrested in
2010. He faces 7 years.

Jauhen Vaskovich faces the same,
being convicted of the same
crime.

Ihar Alinevich faces 8 years, con-
victed of attacking the Russian
embassy in Minsk in solidarity
with Russian anarchists arrested
in the high-profile Khimki case.
He was also convicted of arson
at the Belarusbank and attack on
the ?Shangri La? casino. He de-
nies all of these charges but was
kidnapped by plain clothed cops
when in Moscow and extradited
to Belarus illegally. He was also
sentenced for participation in an
anti-militarist demonstration near
the headquarters of the General
Staff in Minsk.

Aliaksandr Frantskievich was sen-
tenced to three years for partici-
pation in an attack on the (state
controlled) Trade Union Federa-
tion building and for computer
hacking. Despite having serious
health problems he is still being
held in a pre-trial facility.

Mikalai Dziadok was also found
guilty of the attacks on the ?Shan-
gri La? and trade union building,
and participation in the anti-mil-
itarist demo, and was sentenced
to 4.5 years after being held
illegally. He too denies charges
against him.

The criminal damage for which
these comrades were sentenced
amounts to only a few hundred
dollars in each case. They are be-
ing in especially harsh conditions,
reflective of their noncompliance.

These convictions form part of an
ideologically driven repression of
anarchists in Belarus. They follow
the revitalisation of Belarusian
anarchism in the past few years.
Unlike in some other ex-Soviet
Union countries and other mod-
ern dictatorships, anarchists do
not form a minor part of a dissi-
dent prison population consisting
of the usual pro-democracy and
anti-corruption activists. They
in fact make up just under half
of the ?political? prisoners in
Belarus. This is partly because
it is possible to have sentences
revoked if you admit your guilt
and write to the state asking
forgiveness, which the five will
not do.

The Belarusian ABC has cam-
paigned consistently for them
to be released and, in the im-
mediate term, for them to be
allowed visits, medication, letters
and literature, and raises money
for solicitors? fees and to buy the
comrades? food. Supported by
the International of Anarchist
Federations (IFA-IAF) they have
recently completed a tour of
France, Italy, Germany, Spain and
UK, to raise awareness and spark
further solidarity. The latter have
a good chance of success because
Belarus? President Alexander Lu-
kashenko has expressed a desire
for the country to be allowed to
join the E.U. There are rumours
that this may be considered if
human rights in the country are
addressed.

For More information and to Help
visit the Belarus ABC and Anar-
chist Federation websites