Political prisoner Autukhovich loses vision in prison
- 2.03.2009, 13:36
In prison the State of health of the arrested businessman from Vaukavysk Mikalay Autukhovich has deteriorated greatly.
As the Charter’97 press-centre has been informed by the wife of the political prisoner Alena Autukhovich, eye vision of the leader of small businessmen has dropped considerably. Besides, he caught cold because of the difficult conditions in the remand prison.
“As far as I know, he caught cold. I do not know anything else. I am not told anything. I receive all news from the lawyer only. He asked to bring medicines for cold to him. Besides, the lawyer said that vision of my husband has dropped very much,” Alena Autukhovich said.
The wife of the political prisoner does not know whether necessary medicines are given to Mikalay Autukhovich.
“How can I know that? Maybe yes, and maybe no. I do not know whether somebody had checked him or not. I cannot say anything, as I am here, and my husband is there,” the woman sighed.
The lawyer of the businessman Pavel Sapelka confirmed to the Charter’97 press-center that unfavourable conditions in the remand prison had undermined health of Mikalay Autukhovich.
“It’s true, his vision has dropped; he has caught cold. Conditions in the remand prison have undermined his health. Firstly, there are 15 persons in the cell where he is kept. Secondly, almost everybody is smoking there, and it is very hard to tolerate for Autukhovich as he does not smoke,” the human rights activist said.
The lawyer has underlined that despite of all the difficulties Mikalay Autukhovich firmly sticks to his views.
“He worries for his family and business, but he is not going to his believes and won’t give up,” Pavel Sapelka noted.
Another arrested business from Vaukavysk Yury Lyavonau still stays in the prison hospital, his daughter Lyavonava said to the Charter’97 press-centre.
“Father is still in hospital, and I do not know when he is to be discharged. I do not have information about that at all. I met with my father only once over all this time, three days after he was placed to the hospital. As the doctor said, when father appeared in the hospital, he has pain in kidney, and he is to stay is hospital for prevention treatment. What kind of preventive treatment it is and why it is to last for so long, I do not know,” Yuliya Lyavonava said.
As we have informed, on February 8 leaders of entrepreneurs Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka were arrested in Vaukavysk.
On February 18, they were accused of arson of a house of former head of the Vaukavysk militia department. It is remarkable that the arson took place in 2005, and the guilty persons are serving punishment. The arrested businessmen face up to 12 years of imprisonment.
On Sunday February 15, Yury Lyavonau was taken to Republican Prison Hospital in Kalvaryiskaya Street 36, with a diagnosis “stones in kidneys”.
From the moment of arrest their close relatives hadn’t seen them. The investigator of the “case” many times dismissed appeals of wives and children who requested a meeting wit the arrested entrepreneurs held in Minsk remand prison. As lawyers have promised not to reveal details of the case, relatives of Mikalay Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau and Uladzimir Asipenka are in fact deprived of any information about them. Besides, the relatives have been denied a possibility to act as their defending lawyers.
It should be reminded that Yury Lyavonau and Mikalai Autukhovich are former political prisoners, sentenced to imprisonment on a far-fetched accusation for protection of the rights of entrepreneurs. In the beginning of 2008, a measure of punishment was changed for them to restriction of liberty. On February 10, 2009 a hearing on early conditional release of Mikalai Autukhovich was to take place in Vaukavysk.