Николай Дедок

Belarusian prison. Untouchables in the prison hierarchy.

The topic of prison caste system is often raised in the media in recent times, it is often discussed in connection with the political prisoners. However, almost all who write on the subject, know about it at best from the stories of former inmates or use common social stereotypes. As a result, there are often a lot of blunders and false representation.

The aim of this article is to illuminate some aspects of this complex and multifaceted phenomenon the informal hierarchy in Belarus prisons.

 

Mikalai Dziadok cuts his abdomen and arms in prison

Микола Дедок

Mikalai Dziadok protested against tortures by prison staff.

Viasna human rights centre learnt it from Valeria Khotsina, the wife of the political prisoner.

Mikalai Dziadok was transferred to correctional facility No.9 in Horki for his new prison term on May 12. On May 13, he was thrown into a punishment cell for five days. On May 19, he was transferred to a solitary confinement cell. Mikalai Dziadok spent the night in a very cold cell and asked to be transferred to another cell.

A new criminal case started against Mikalai Dziadok

On November 20 Mikalai Dziadok was charged with malicious disobedience to the demands of prison administration (art.411). This became known from a state lawyer, who had been called to attend the procedure. The case was started on November 13. In the near future the anarchist will be transferred to the pre-trial detention centre as a defendant.

Before that Dziadok had spent 8 days in a punishment cell, and was transferred to the solitary confinement.

New shortfilms on Belarusian anarchist political prisoners Ihar Alinevich and Mikalaj Dziadok, Mikalaj transferred to high-security prison

Two new shortfilms with subtitles in English, dedicated to Belarusian anarchists political prisoners have been released on Belarusian series "Chronicles of the times of courts", one is dedicated to Ihar Alinevich, and another to Mikalaj Dziadok.   Ihar was kidnapped in Moscow by plain-clothes Belarusian officials in Moscow 28th of November 2010, and only several days later it was revealed that he was in remand prison of Belarusian KGB in Minsk.    

An update on the situation of Belarusian anarchist prisoners

Mikalai Dziadok (4,5 years) is finishing his 3rd month in a solitary cell after having refused to work on Saturdays. Work is obligatory in Belarusian penal colonies, but is regulated by the Labour Code, which prescribes that a person shouldn’t work more than 40 hours a week. Mikalai was forced to work more on Saturdays, but refused to do so. He was punished with 6 months of solitary confinement on June 1st. During this period he is deprived of all dates, phone calls and food supply from the outside.

English pages of Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow are up again, prisoner list updated

At some point last year our wiki, including the prisoner list, got broken, but during last weeks we have recovered
it.

Starting point is here: http://wiki.avtonom.org/en/index.php/Anarchist_Black_Cross

At this point, our English pages has only prisoners from former Soviet Union, but if you want to help us to
have a wider perspective, you are welcome to register to wiki anytime!

Human rights defenders recognize Alinevich, Dziadok and Frankevich political prisoners

Human Rights Center "Viasna" and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee recognized Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Dziadok and Aliaksandr Frantskevich as political prisoners of the present regime. The human rights defenders came to this conclusion on the basis of analysis of the so-called “Case of Anarchists”.

Petition in defense of Belarus imprisoned anarchists

The last European dictator is now trading people's freedom for loans from the west. He has now set 24 political prisoners free. Please find below links to the petition to liberate Belorussian anarchists. The petition has also been signed by members of several political parties and organisations in Belarus and abroad:

Documentaries about the prosecution of anarchists in Belarus are now available in internet in English

English version of the documentaries "Disregarding The Law" and "Anarchy. Direct action. Impartial" version are now available in the internet. The movies tell the story of the repressions of anarchists in Belarus in september 2010 - may 2011. Short description of the "Anarchy. Direct action. Impartial": “The documentary was created in winter 2011 by ABC Belarus to cover the repressions of the anarchist movement in Belarus from september 2010 up to february 2011. The movie include the comments from anarchists, Russian and belarus officials, human right activists. ”

New Addresses of Belarusian anarchist prisoners

Dedok Nikolai Aleksandrovich / Dziadok Mikalai Aliaksandravich*
 IK-15, 213105, Mogilev, p/o Veino, Slavgorodskoe shosse, 5 km. KARANTIN
 BELARUS

Frantskevich Aleksandr Vladimirovich / Frantskevich Aliaksandr Uladzimiravich*
 IK-22 “Volchi nory”, 225295 , Brestskaya obl., Ivatsevichski r-n, st. Domanovo KARANTIN
BELARUS

Olinevich Igor Vladimirovich / Alinevich Ihar Uladzimiravich*
IK-10, 211440, Vitebskaya obl., Novopolotsk, ul. Tekhnicheskaya, 8 KARANTIN
 BELARUS

Vaskovich Evgeni Sergeevich / Vas’kovich Jauhen Siarheevich (KGB attack)*
IK-15, 213105, Mogilev, p/o Veino, Slavgorodskoe shosse, 5 km. KARANTIN
BELARUS
 

Belarusian anarchists sentenced - up to 8 years of hard regime, evidence lacking

On the 27th of May, judge Zhanna Khvoynitskaya sentenced the Belarusian anarchists Ihar Alinevich, Mikalaj Dziadok, Aliaksandar Frantskievich, Maxim Vetkin and Yeveni Slivonchik. The young men were accused of a number of political actions, amongst which was the attack against the Russian embassy in Minsk in August of 2010. 

 Ihar Alinevich was accused of attacks against the Russian Embassy and Belarusbank ("Property destruction with intent", statute 218 paragraph 3 of the Belarusian Criminal Codex), an attack against the remand prison of Minsk (also statute 218, paragraph 2), an attack against a Casino and an illegal demonstration at the military headquarters ("Aggravated hooliganism", statute 339 paragraph 2 of Belarusian criminal codex). The prosecutor asked for a 9 year sentence in hard regime, eventually he received 8 years of hard regime (1).    

Anarchy. Direct Action.

First of all, let me change the order of the story and start with our own, anarchic view of the situation: "Anarchy. Direct action " . Why? Because although instead of conversation, and you can use the stick, the words always retain their power. Words give the meaning of the surrounding reality for those who are willing to listen. They declare us the truth. And the truth is this: our country is going something wrong, is not it? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and depression, the prohibition of the right to protest a ban on thinking about the protest.Instead, we have - a system of external supervision and corporate media.

Short update of the recent repressions against anarchists in Belarus

As of right now four Belarussian anarchists are under arrest, accused of having organised a series of direct actions 2009-2010. 
 
Everything started long before this past September(2010). The years 2009-2010  were rich in radical actions claimed by Belarusian anarchists. Such as:
 
 *an illegal anti-militarist demonstration in Septeber 2009 against a mutual
 Russian-Belarusian war exercise,  when a Joint Staff was attacked with a smoke   grenade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iQ3kz0hVDM
 

Moscow anarchists marched in defense of their Belarusian colleagues

Today, Dec. 12, about 30 anarchists and anti-fascists in Moscow conducted an illegal procession. Around 8 pm, with a column covering the street Fire and signal flare went on Maroseyka by the Belarusian embassy, chanting "Freedom for Belarus anarchists," "Putin and Luke freaks, anarchists to freedom," "Games in the policy - the case by a condom!" and other slogans. The protesters carried a banner "We demand an end to repression against Maxim Vetkin, Dedkov Nicholas, Alexandra Frantskevych, Igor Olinevicha" black and red flags.

Food Not Bombs in Irkutsk, expressed solidarity with the Belarusian anarchist

This afternoon, in the center of Irkutsk, the anarchists of the Initiative Food Not Bombs held a rally in solidarity with anarchist prisoners in Belarus. Participants in the initiative have fed a dozen homeless people free hot vegetarian soup. Near the site of action anarchists placed the banner: "Freedom of Belarusian activists!" and handed out leaflets about a hundred passers-by and the homeless. Despite the bitter cold enough passersby eagerly took flyers.

TEXT LEAFLETS:

Solidarity with Belarusian activists

Due to the fact that the Belarusian government again resorted to political repression and shows his dictatorial essence, IFA (International of Anarchist Federations), meeting in Sofia on 30-31 October 2010, reports that:
- He is opposed to any social and political activism, organized under the institutional and hierarchical control;
- Condemns all forms of repression against activists, whether they are anarchists or not;
- Expresses its solidarity with the persecuted fellow anarchists and all the victims of the regime;

The call to the international days of united actions in support of belarus anarchists

In connection with the situation about repression of anarchists and social activists getting worse WE – anarchists, friends and nearests of repressed ones – are calling you to take part in Days of Solidarity with belarus Anarchists on the 10-13ths of December 2010. We consider that only international protests against repressions of independent activists trying to change things in Belarus for the better are able to make Lukashenko give the go-ahead to stop mass arrests and to close political cases of Dedok, Frantskevich and Vetkin.

YSU students have announced a rally of solidarity with Nicholas Dedkov

Students of the European Humanities University and the Youth Initiative StudAlliance announced an indefinite campaign of solidarity with the student at YSU Nicholas Dedkov, which is already two and a half months is held in custody. About this BelaPAN reported in the press service StudAlliance.

Author columns

Антти Раутиайнен

June 11th is the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason & All Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners. This action day has a long history, it was organized first time 20 years ago in 2004. In the first year, we managed to paint a graffiti to wall of one of the most guarded objects of Moscow,...

4 months ago
Антти Раутиайнен

Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war...

5 months ago