ZMITSER DASHKEVICH IS FREE

The former political prisoner tells the European Radio for Belarus about what helped him endure behind the bars, how he was free and what he plans to do in the future.

How do you feel on the first day at freedom?

I am very happy to meet my friends. This is my best impression.

How were you freed? Had they hinted about your freeing the day before?

The hints were that I would walk free after having serving my term. I can say that everything happened rather unexpectedly. When I came for another interrogation, they told me that I was free to go home.

Did you have any information about what was taking place at freedom?

I would receive a lot of letters and was subscribed to pro-democracy publications. Therefore, I was more or less in the context of the developments in the country.

What has supported you throughout your stay to endure all your sufferings?

God and a huge campaign of public solidarity.

Do you need to improve your health?

No. I feel totally fine. I will join our activities beginning from today.

Don't you want to rest for a while?

No. I have rested for 16 months. I will deal only with the Malady Front.

Have you changed your views on your political activities and the political situation in general?

I can say that my views have only been strengthened. The rest has remained the same.

Do you think one can expect the release of other political prisoners?

I would like to believe in that very much. However, I interprete my release and the release of Mikalai Autukhovich as a political game, yet a game that is taking place thanks to God's will and a huge pressure on the regime of Lukashenka.

Can you describe it as a certain concession to Europe?

"The guarantor of the Constitution" would hardly replace 1.5 years of imprisonment with one year as what has happened in this case.

Zmitser Dashkevich, one of the youth opposition leaders, on Wednesday was unexpetedly freed from a colony in Shklou where he had served his prison term for taking part in an unregistered organization.


Zmitser was to stay for around two months to complete his term. If he is freed courtesy of the reduced term, it means that he has stayed behind bars four months longer.

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