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Ihar Alinevich

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Ihar Alinevich
Ігар Аліневіч
Born (1983-09-24) 24 September 1983 (age 40)
NationalityBelarusian
CitizenshipBelarus
EducationBSUIR
OccupationElectronic engineer
MovementAnarchism

Ihar Uladzimiravich Alinevich (Belarusian: Ігар Уладзіміравіч Аліневіч; Russian: Игорь Владимирович Олиневич; Igor Vladimirovich Olinevich) is a Belarusian anarchist political prisoner. On 22 December 2021, he was sentenced by a Belarusian court to 20 years of prison.[1]

Biography

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Ihar Vladimirovich Alinevich was born on 24 September 1983. He graduated from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics as an electronic engineer. He worked on the creation of a Belarusian-Russian satellite. From adolescence he was interested in the history, theory and practice of anarchism.[2][3]

Anarchist activities, kidnapping, 2011 trial

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In 2009–2010 he took part in several anarchists actions in Minsk. After an action of solidarity with Russian anarchists at the Russian embassy in Minsk on 30 August 2010, Alinevich left for Russia, where he hid for some time.[4]

Olinevich was detained by unknown persons in the shopping center "U Gorbushka" in Moscow on 28 November 2010. Later, Alinevich stated that he was illegally transported across the Belarusian-Russian border with a hat pulled over his eyes.[5] The next day (according to other information – a day later[6]) Alinevich's parents were informed that their son was in Minsk, in a KGB pre-trial detention center.[3] The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta described Alinevich's arrest as abduction and an illegal special operation.[5]

Initially, Alinevich was accused under Article 339 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus "Hooliganism" (part 2) for participating in a protest near the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus on 19 September 2009, and for an attack on the Russian embassy on the night of 30–31 August 2010 (on Alexander Lukashenko's birthday). Subsequently, he was also charged under Article 218 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus "Intentional destruction or damage to property" (parts 2 and 3), and an attack on a casino, a bank and the center for isolation of offenders on Akrestsin Street was added to the list of charges.[2] Together with Alinevich, Mikola Dziadok and Alexander Frantskevich were involved in this case. Alinevich admitted that he took part in a peaceful protest near the General Staff, but denied the involvement of anarchists in the attack on the Russian embassy.[2][7]

On 27 May 2011 Alinevich was found guilty by the Zavodskoy District Court of Minsk and sentenced to 8 years in a maximum security prison. Initially, he was held in prison No. 10 in Novopolotsk (Vitebsk region), located in an ecologically polluted area near two large chemical plants.[7][8] Alinevich was allowed one meeting with his mother every six months, provided that there were no violations,[7] from January to 14 July 2012, he was allowed 3 phone calls.[9] In 2012, Alinevich was sent to solitary confinement for refusing to write a petition for clemency.[9] In 2013, Alinevich's mother (a professor of economic sciences) was fired from the Belarusian State Economic University, where she had worked for over 30 years. According to her, this was related to the case of her son.[10] In 2014, Alinevich was transferred to the "Vitba-3" prison (Vitebsk district of the Vitebsk region).[2]

While still in pre-trial detention, Alinevich began to write a book "On The Way To Magadan" about himself and about prison life, which was published in 2013.[11] Soon after its publication, the book received the František Alekhnovich Award for the best work written in prison.[11]

Alinevich was recognized as a political prisoner by Belarusian and international human rights organizations.[3][12] By 2015, he remained one of the last political prisoners in the Republic of Belarus.[13] On 22 August 2015, Alinevich was released by the decision of Alexander Lukashenko, along with five other political prisoners.[14] The liberation had an international resonance and was seen as a step towards normalizing relations with the European Union.[15] After his release, Alinevich emigrated.[13] In 2016, Alinevich was recognized as a laureate of the Viktor Ivashkevich Human Rights Award (nomination "For Personal Courage").[11]

2020 arrest, terrorism charge

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Main article: 2020 Belarusian protests

On the night of 28–29 October 2020, Belarusian border guards detained Ihar Alinevich and three more anarchists – Dmitry Dubovsky, Dmitry Rezanovich and Siarhei Ramanau in the Yelʹsk District of the Gomel Region near the Belarus–Ukraine border.[11] They were charged under Article 289 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus "Terrorism", which provides for punishment up to the death penalty, as well as under Article 295 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus "Illegal arms trafficking".[16] The anarchists were accused of setting fire to four cars near the building of the prosecutor's office in Salihorsk (Minsk Region) and the local branch of the State Committee for Forensic Expertise.[16]

On 22 December 2021, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced Alinevich to 20 years of prison. The Viasna Human Rights Centre, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Belarusian PEN Center, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and several other human rights organizations declared him to be a political prisoner.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "18 to 20 years in prison: anarchists sentenced in Minsk". Viasna Human Rights Centre. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Свабода, Радыё (24 August 2015). "Ігар Аліневіч". Радыё Свабода (in Belarusian). Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Игорь Олиневич" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Без иллюзий и надежд". Радио Свобода. Radio Liberty. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Самовывоз. Как спецслужбы союзного государства пользуются отсутствием пограничных постов" (in Russian). Novaya Gazeta. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Игоря Олиневича поместили в «Американку»" (in Russian). 1 December 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Игорь Олиневич: Анархисты непричастны ко взрывам и нападениям". 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Валентина Олиневич: Условия в тюрьмах Беларуси – изощренный геноцид" (in Russian). 27 March 2013. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Олиневича бросили на две недели в карцер" (in Russian). 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  10. ^ "С Валентиной Алиневич отказались продлить контракт" (in Russian). 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d "Правозащитники: на белорусско-украинской границе задержан бывший политзаключенный Игорь Олиневич" (in Russian). Naviny.by. 30 August 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "Belarus Releases Six Political Prisoners". Freedom House. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Год на воле. Что стало с последними освобожденными политзаключенными?". Tut.by. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Лукашенко освободил Статкевича и еще пятерых политзаключенных" (in Russian). Naviny.by. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  15. ^ "МИД Франции: освобождение политзаключенных — важный шаг на пути улучшения отношений Беларуси и ЕС" (in Russian). Naviny.by. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Партизаны Полесья. Что мы знаем об анархистах, которых КГБ обвинил в терроризме". 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Statement on recognition of Dzmitry Dubouski, Dzmitry Rezanovich, Ihar Alinevich and Siarhei Ramanau as political prisoners". 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2021.

Bibliography

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  • Alinevich, Igor (2013). "Еду в Магадан" (in Russian). Радикальная теория и практика. p. 164.
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