Belarus: Human Rights Defender Condemned to 2 years in Prison
for Insulting President Lukashenka
Minsk – Vienna, 26 October 2006: On 23 October, the court of the Leninski district of Minsk found Katsiaryna Sadouskaya guilty of insulting President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and condemned the 60-year-old woman to 2 years in a minimum-security penal colony. She was also ordered to pay the amount of 4 million rubles (about 1,500 Euro) as compensation to district court judges, for alleged insults and threats (articles 391 and 389 of the Criminal Code).
The ground for finding Ms. Sadouskaya guilty of insulting the president (article 368.2 of the Criminal Code) was a letter of 21 January, 2006, which was found in her home during a search. The letter was never sent. In it, Ms. Sadouskaya was calling for the mental examination of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, for the boycott of the presidential elections and was accusing the Russian secret services of supporting the Belarusian regime.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Belarusan Helsinki Committee (BHC) denounce the extensive use of criminal libel in Belarus and reject the prosecution for such offences based on writings never made public.
As for the fine, it was related to the record of an automatic answering device of the judge of the Kirauski District Court of Mahilyou region. In the recorded voice message, insults were pronounced and a mention is made of Sadouskaya, who defended the opposition activist Mr. Smailau at his trial last year, before that judge. The files of the case also contained a threatening letter received by the judge by post.
Ms. Sadouskaya is the head of the Belarusian branch of the Pskov regional civic movement "Veche". She organized a series of pickets demanding respect for human rights in Belarus and has assisted many human rights victims. She has been repeatedly fined and arrested for her activities.
The IHF and BHC consider Ms. Sadouskaya’s trial to be politically motivated, based on her legitimate work as a human rights defender. We therefore ask for her immediate release. Furthermore, this harsh verdict not only affects Ms. Sadouskaya personally, but it contributes greatly to the atmosphere of intimidation and fear pervasive in Belarus, a country where citizens have virtually no opportunities to express their opinion.
For more information, please contact:
Dzmitry Markusheuski, BHC Press Officer, +375-29-709 5702
Brigitte Dufour, IHF Legal counsel and deputy executive director, +43-1-408 88 22