Solidarity group chief advises political convicts who face harsher punishment to flee
August 19, Pozirk. Andrej Stryžak, co-founder of the BySol Solidarity Foundation, has urged Belarusians to contact its evacuation service amid reports that at least 15 people serving restricted freedom terms in home confinement may be sent to prison.
“Contact us and don’t wait until you are locked up behind a high fence. The service is free, fast and professional,” he said on Telegram.
Since June, the courts have held or scheduled at least 15 hearings to replace restricted freedom sentences with imprisonment, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
Those sentenced to restricted freedom are under constant pressure, it said.
Officers visit them at night, restrict their leisure time and send them to jail for violations of terms of confinement.
Viasna lawyer Vika Rudziankova noted that the violations can include failure to fulfill one’s assigned duties.
For example, convicts must ensure that their police supervisors have unimpeded access to their homes, be always available by phone and come to the police station when summoned.
They are prohibited from attending cultural events where alcoholic beverages are served or going to other people’s homes.
Although the practice of replacing a lighter punishment with a harsher one is enshrined in law, it violates the non bis in idem principle, Rudziankova said.
“It means that no one can be punished twice for the same act. The principle is enshrined in the Criminal Code, as well as in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights binding for the Republic of Belarus,” she stressed.
Viasna: politically-motivated criminal cases up 16 percent in July
August 19, Pozirk. At least 134 men and 36 women were convicted in politically-motivated criminal cases last month, says a recent report by the Viasna Human Rights Center. Convictions rose by 16.4 percent in July, with 78 people sentenced in …