Klimau: I can't believe that political prisoners are made to plead pardon
Information about pressure being exercised on political prisoners who are being made to plead pardon has recently appeared in mass media.
Andrei Klimau, former political prisoner, comments on it.
Euroradio: Information about political prisoners being made to plead pardon has been appearing lately. How do you think, it is real that the administration needs political prisoners to plead pardon now?
Klimau: "I can hardly believe that someone would be asking prisoners to plead pardon. Firstly, it is the President’s prerogative. Secondly, it is beyond the competence of correctional institutions. I know that prisoners are formally forbidden to plead pardon from prison or any other correctional institution on their own. This ban is very strict. As far as I remember, not a single petition has passed the prison post-office so far. Correctional institutions may recommend considering such petitions. However, I doubt that the head of some correctional facility would dare to act as an intermediary between political prisoners and the President. I think that somebody has misinterpreted the current state of affairs. On the other hand, some officials in the government have already understood that it is impossible to continue formal negotiations with the European structures without releasing political prisoners. One of the ways out is releasing political prisoners ahead of time. Well, we have already witnessed it. Alyaksandr Lukashenka ordered to release me back then. Let me remind you that I did not plead pardon, it was his initiative. He has a constitutional right to do it so I did not object”.
Euroradio: Could heads of correctional institutions be ordered to do it?
Klimau: “As soon as the current President makes such a decision, all political prisoners will be released like it happened in 2008”.
