Mikalai Autukhovich Kept In Inhuman Conditions

The political prisoner is being pressurized by the prison administration.

The closer the end of the trial of Mikalai Autukhovich and other defendants in the case, from whom they are trying to make a "group", the more pressure is put on the trial participants, and especially on him personally.

Last Monday, September 19, it became known that Mikalai Autukhovich was sent to solitary confinement for 10 days.

His daughter Katsiaryna wrote about it on Facebook:

- The reason for the punishment is that a banned item was found in his cellmate's possession on the day Mikalai was on duty. Uladzimir Hundar has also been in solitary confinement since Monday.

Yesterday we learned that Mikalai would not be released from solitary confinement on September 29, because new penalties are expected. We do not know how long he will be kept in the solitary confinement. It means that the prison administration is leaving him without letters even from his mother, without parcels, packages and an opportunity to buy necessary things from the prison shop (even drinking water), and without walks.

The administration deliberately makes it difficult for the father to stay in prison until his sentence is pronounced.

During the trial itself, Mikalai is kept in a cage of about 1m², and sessions take place until 6 p.m., sometimes until 7 p.m. As a result, participants in the trial are sometimes left without dinner.

Such conditions can only be described as torture. Recently the trial was made closed, and now lawyers are not even allowed to tell their relatives anything about the proceedings.

The only thing we know about Mikalai is that he survives all these ordeals with amazing fortitude and dignity.

Once again we are trying to reach Belarusian and foreign human rights activists. Mikalai Autukhovich and all persons involved in his case should be recognized as political prisoners.