Subject: [CivilSoc] Dmitry Obodovsky Still in Detention
From: Center for Civil Society International (ccsi@u.washington.edu)
Date: Thu Jan 18 2001 - 17:47:53 EST
From: International League for Human Rights <Communications@ilhr.org>
Subject: Dmitry Obodovsky Still in Detention
To: Alexander Lukashenko
Republic of Belarus
FAX: 011 375 172 26 06 10
Cc: Anatoly Dudkin
Prosecutor of the Mogilev region
FAX: 011 375 222 257 355
Svyataslav Kurel
Director of Internal Affairs, Mogilev branch
FAX: 011 375 222 395 101
January 18, 2001
Dear Mr. Lukashenko,
The International League for Human Rights, a non-governmental
organization with consultative status at the United Nations, is
concerned about the criminal case against Dmitry Obodovsky, the son
of Sergei Obodovsky, an opposition activist. Dmitry has been held in
detention for the past year and a half. Dmitry was arrested on July
20, 1999, and has been held in pre-trial detention since then. He was
initially charged with rape and then later with two cases of theft,
all charges which he denies.
Although Dmitry was acquitted of one theft, he was sentenced to six
years in prison for allegedly stealing a pair of shoes. At the
present moment, the case has been forwarded for re-examination. The
judge has repeatedly denied the defense's request that Dmitry be
released during his trials. The latest refusal to release Dmitry
came from Ivan Gorodkov, who is the chief investigator in Dmitry's
case, despite the new Penal Code, which came into force on January 1,
2001, and which prohibits keeping the suspect in pre-trial detention
for a period longer than 18 months.
The League fears that the charges against Dmitry Obodovsky may be in
retaliation for the opposition activities of his father, Sergei
Obodovsky, the director of the Mogilev Human Rights Center and a
lawyer at the Mogilev branch of the Free Trade Union. Dmitry was
arrested just after Sergei was elected to the opposition electoral
commission of the opposition-organized presidential elections in the
spring of 1999. Sergei's other two sons have also faced harassment in
the past two years. One was forced to seek political asylum in
Poland, while the other, a student at the Mogilev State University,
has faced charges of computer hacking (komputernoe khuliganstvo).
The League urges you to immediately cease harassment of Sergei
Obodovsky and his family for his opposition and trade union
activities. More specifically, the League calls on you to release
Dmitry from detention during the ongoing investigation, ensure that
he has access to lawyers of his choosing and that any future trial
proceeds in an open and fair manner.
Thank you for your attention. We await your response.
Sincerely,
Catherine Fitzpatrick
Executive Director
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