Andrei Klimau’s defenders threatened with criminal case

• 21.11.2007, 16:17

The head of Mozyr colony No. 20 Yury Zbarouski threatens with criminal responsibility to signatories of the application in support of the political prisoner Andrei Klimau.

A deputy chairman of Homel regional branch of the United Civil party Uladzimir Katsora has received a letter sent by the head of the colony. It is stated in the letter that “facts in the application are in contrary to fact and have a libelous nature”, ucpb.org informs.

“The legislation of Belarus provides for criminal liability for libeling. We reserve the right to address a prosecutor’s office to give a legal treatment of the address, in case a contradiction would not follow from you, and apologies would not be offered to workers of the colony,” the letter reads.

Uladzimir Katsora regards this answer as an “inadequate reaction of the leadership of the colony”. “It seems that they face such addresses of citizens for the first time. And they demonstrate their total ignorance. If the case will be taken to the court, it would be interesting for me to meet representatives of the colony,” the politician said.

As we have informed, colleagues of Andrei Klimau sent an application to the head of Mozyr colony Yury Zbarouski. They expressed their indignation over the fact that food parcels were seized from the political prisoner, and demanded to stop torturing Andrei Klimau by hunger, to fire the guilty and bring up a criminal action against them.

The oppositional leader, a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the 13th convocation Andrei Klimau was arrested on April 3, 2007 for publishing articles online. A criminal action was brought up against him for violation of the Article 361 Part 3 of the Criminal Code “inciting the government’s overthrow by means of the mass media”.

On August 1 Andrei Klimau was sentenced to 2 years of the maximum security colony in a trail held behind the closed doors. “Amnesty International” recognized him a prisoner of conscience.