From: amnesty@amnesty.oil.ca
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 06:49:05 -0500
Message-Id: <199912161149.GAA14319@amnesty.oil.ca>
To: amnesty-L@oil.ca
Subject: BELARUS: Prisoner of conscience beaten and dragged into Minsk court
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* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *
News Service 235/99
AI INDEX: EUR 49/34/99
14 December 1999

PUBLIC STATEMENT

BELARUS

Prisoner of conscience beaten and dragged into Minsk court

Amnesty International condemns yesterday’s brutal treatment of prisoner
of conscience and former member of parliament Andrey Klimov who was
reportedly beaten and kicked by prison officials and dragged into a
Minsk court room in torn clothes and without shoes.

Andrey Klimov is a member of the parliament dissolved by President
Lukashenka in November 1996. He has been in pre-trial detention since
February 1998 after being charged with financial impropriety, a charge
he has denied. Amnesty International considers Andrey Klimov to be a
prisoner of conscience, imprisoned for peacefully opposing President
Lukashenka’s forced dissolution of parliament.

The ill-treatment allegedly occurred after Andrey Klimov refused to
leave his prison cell and go to the Leninsky court, protesting he has
not received a fair trial. On 8 and 9 December the judge presiding over
the Leninsky court refused to allow Andrey Klimov’s defence to bring key
witnesses to testify. He was ejected from the court room after
questioning the independence and objectivity of the court.

Prison officials allegedly forced him to the cell floor and kicked him.
He was then placed in a prison vehicle and driven to the Leninsky court,
where he was reportedly dragged into the building. Eye-witnesses
maintain he struggled to walk from the prison vehicle to and from the
court building.

An ambulance was called to the court, but the judge presiding over the
court refused to allow the defendant to be taken to hospital. It was
later determined that Andrey Klimov suffered significant bruising, a
possible fractured or dislocated arm and concussion as a result of his
ill-treatment by prison officials.

The organization believes his ill-treatment violates international human
rights standards regarding the treatment of detainees.

Background
In November 1996 Andrey Klimov took an active part in the impeachment of
President Lukashenka. After the dissolution of parliament he continued
his criticism of the president accusing him of violating the law and the
constitution. Furthermore, he produced several documents to this effect.
It is alleged that Andrey Klimov was arrested within days of
distributing such a document to the procurator, police department and
all heads of local government in the country.

Since being in prison he has always insisted upon his innocence and has
undertaken two hunger strikes. As a result of the second hunger strike
he was admitted to a prison hospital in July 1998 where he was
reportedly diagnosed as suffering from a heart condition. He has since
been transferred back to the prison but his state of health is reported
to be poor. Amnesty International continues to be concerned about the
state of his health and has expressed concern about the cruel, inhuman
and degrading conditions of his imprisonment. The organization is
calling for his immediate and unconditional release.

ENDS.../
Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street,
WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom
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