Dmitry "Zmitser" Vyachaslavavich Dashkevich ( be, Дзмітрый «Зміцер» Вячаслававіч Дашкевіч; born July 20, 1981 in

Yelsk Raion Yelsk District or Jeĺsk District ( be, Ельскі раён, Jeĺski Rajon; russian: Ельский район) is a district (raion) of Gomel Region in Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ...

Homiel Voblast Gomel Region or Gomel Oblast or Homiel Voblasts ( be, Го́мельская во́бласць, Homielskaja vobłasć, russian: Гомельская область, Gomelskaya oblast) is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center i ...

) is a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

ian politician and former leader of the unregistered youth opposition movement

Young Front Young Front ( be, Малады Фронт, malady front, МФ) is a Belarusian youth movement registered in the Czech Republic. It is the largest youth organisation of Belarus declaring democratic values. It is a member of the European Democrat ...

(from 2004 to 2017).

Life

In November 2006, Dashkevich was found guilty of "illegal political activity" by a Belarusian court and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Amnesty international Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

(AI) declared him a prisoner of conscience, and the U.S. government condemned the verdict. In March 2011, he and fellow Young Front activist

Eduard Lobau Eduard Anatolievič Lobaŭ ( be, Эдуард Анатолевіч Лобаў; 1 December 1988 – 26 January 2023) was a Belarusian activist associated with the Young Front. He was imprisoned by the government of Belarus for his protest act ...

were found guilty of assault one day in advance of a disputed

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

. The Young Front activists stated that the case against them was politically motivated. Dashkevich was sentenced to two years in prison, and Lobau to four. AI again named the pair prisoners of conscience. According to AI, Dashkevich was offered a presidential pardon in September 2011 if he would confess his guilt, but he refused. On 18 July 2012, Belarusian authorities announced that a new investigation had been opened against Dashkevich for his "systematic and aggressive refusal to follow the instructions of the penitentiary administration." On 28 August 2012, Dashkevich was found guilty in an ''in camera'' trial, and another year was added to his prison sentence. On 30 October, a court ordered Dashkevich's transfer to a maximum security prison.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

reported that he "was being subjected to routine prison abuse, including verbal abuse, arbitrary punishments, and threats of torture, rape, and murder". As of September 2011, Dashkevich was engaged to another Young Front activist,

Nasta Palazhanka Nasta Palazhanka (Dashkevich) ( be, Наста Палажанка, romanized: Nasta Pałažanka; born 1990) is an activist in the opposition youth movement in Belarus, which she joined at the age of 14. As of 2011 she is Deputy Chairperson of the ...

. The two married when Palazhanka visited him in Hrodno prison on 26 December 2012. Authorities stated that the couple would be allowed one more two-hour visit before Dashkevich's release, scheduled for August 2013. He was released on August 28, 2013, after having completed his sentence. On April 23, 2022, Dashkevich was detained after a search of his apartment. On July 14, 2022, the Maskoŭski District Court of Minsk sentenced him to 18 months of imprisonment in a penal colony.

Viasna Human Rights Centre The Viasna Human Rights Centre ( be, Праваабарончы цэнтр «Вясна», Pravaabarončy centr «Viasna») is a human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to ...

recognizes Dashkevich as a political prisoner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dashkevich, Zmitser 1981 births Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Belarus Belarusian politicians Belarusian prisoners and detainees Belarusian Protestants Living people People from Jeĺsk District