Employees of Lihavid’s colony to be added on EU’s black list?

Political prisoner and member of the Movement “For Freedom” Mikita Lihavid has spent dozens of days in the punishment cell of Navapolatsk colony. He keeps insisting that his sentence was unfair (three years of imprisonment for participation in the Square) and does not obey orders which results in penalties.

Euroradio has discussed “Lihavid’s case” with Yuras Hubarevich, deputy head of the Movement “For Freedom”.
 

Euroradio: Is there any campaign aimed at informing the Belarusian society about Mikita Lihavid’s case?

Hubarevich: “There is. We are conducting a campaign in Mikita Lihavid’s support. We have been informing Belarusians about Mikita’s state since the beginning. We are urging people to support him if it is possible and to send him personal letters of support to prison. We are also distributing leaflets with the contact information of the colony administration so that people could express their opinion about the current events. You need to exercise influence on the administration because they can change this situation”.

Euroradio: Do you have any information about people writing to Mikita or phoning the colony administration?


Hubarevich: “As far as we know, a lot of civil activists and other people are sending letters to the colony. You can receive a reply sometimes. However, Mikita has been in the punishment cell all this time so his correspondence is very limited”.

Euroradio: Are you informing the international community about Mikita Lihavid?

Hubarevich: “Of course we are. Mikita Lihavid has a deputy, a member of the greens who has taken him under his patronage. Moreover, we are going to exercise influence on the administration of the colony and inform them that they may be added on the list of officials forbidden to enter the EU. The situation will be developing in this direction”

Euroradio: Do you have any information about Mikita Lihavid at the moment?

Hubarevich: “The information is very limited. Lihavid’s mother has more information as she is trying to contact him personally. She used to be able to do it. However, the colony administration do not even want to talk to her on the phone now. They say that all contacts should be limited to letters. And it is very difficult to find out what is happening to Mikita Lihavid. We know that his physical condition keeps deteriorating”.

 Photo by: prava.vitebsk.cc