Is Autukhovich charged with attempts on lives of governor and deputy minister?
- 9.07.2009, 10:24
The Belarusian mass media write that political prisoner Mikalai Autukhovich may be accused of attempts on lives of high ranking officials.
“Ezhednevnik” reports that the Main Department on Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs discovered a plot aimed at physical elimination of governor of the Hrodna region Uladzimir Sauchanka and deputy minister for taxes and levies Vasil Kamenka.
As the edition writes, according to the information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a group of former international soldiers, who served in Afghanistan, planned to kill Sauchanka and Kamenka with the help of an explosive device and a grenade launcher. The investigation thinks the group was led by entrepreneur from Vaukavysk Mikalai Autukhovich.
We remind that Autukhovich faced serious problems with the local authorities and the tax service in 2005. The businessmen tried to prove he hadn’t invented and used any illegal tax evasion schemes and his persecution was political pressing. It didn’t give tangible results. Witnesses say Autukhovich was threatened with physical violence. Despite hunger strikes, intercession of Europe and the US, who recognized the businessmen a political victim, he was sentenced to 3.5 years of imprisonment for tax evasion in 2006.
Mikalai Autukhovich continued hungry strikes in prison demanding immediate release but with no success. The Vaukavysk entrepreneur was released only in early 2008. But on February 8, 2090, he was arrested again. He was charged under part 3 of article 218 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (intentional damage to or destruction of property of citizens).
According to the official accusation, Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka committed arsons of a house and a garage of Vaukavysk district officials. The entrepreneurs allegedly revenged them upon the persecution. In 2005, Autukhovich and his friends were checked if they have relation to these crimes, but no proves were found. Besides, the people guilty of the arsons have been serving punishment. Then a self-made explosive device and RPG-26 grenade launcher appeared in the case of Autukhovich.
The weapon was found by law enforcement officers before October 30, 2005 on the territory of lyceum #1 in Hrodna. Four years after, when Alyaksandr Laryn, working for Autukhovich, was arrested and interrogated, militiamen decided they have proofs that Autukhovich has some relation to this dangerous find.
The Main Department on Organized Crime, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the General Prosecutor’s Office found out in the process of investigation that Autukhovich and Laryn had been preparing attempts on lives of chairman of the Hrodna region executive committee Uladzimir Sauchanka and deputy minister for taxes and levies Vasil Kamenka from April to October 2005.
Mikalai Autukhovich doesn’t admit his guilt. Since April 16 he is on hunger strike in pre-trial detention facility #1 of the militia department of the Minsk city executive committee. He demands to send the case to court as soon as possible or change a measure of restraint for all persons under investigation from custody to release on their own recognizance. The prisoner has lost 30 kilograms of weight during this period.
Belarusian human rights human rights consider the detained Vaukavysk entrepreneurs to be political prisoners drawing attention to the fact that Autukhovich and Lyavonau were convicted before and recognized prisoners of conscience by the international community.