Zmitser Dashkevich

Who is Zmitser Dashkevich?

Zmitser Dashkevich; born July 20, 1981 in Yelsk Raion, Homiel Voblast is a Belarusian politician and one of the leaders of the unregistered youth opposition movement Young Front.

In November 2006, Dashkevich was found guilty of "illegal political activity" by a Belarusian court and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Amnesty international 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 were found guilty of assault one day in advance of a disputed presidential election. 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 reported that he "was being subjected to routine prison abuse, including verbal abuse, arbitrary punishments, and threats of torture, rape, and murder".