Uladzimir Jaromienak: I fight for people not to leave my country

With the activist Uladzimir Jaromienak of Young Front we could talk between his processes, making a complaint about a sentence and Dzmitrij Daszkiewicz’s setting free. It was exaggerated that he would be arrested for 3 months after the penal procedure a few days earlier. After our conversation, Uladzimir got also a fine in the amount of one million roubles…

What makes the biggest impression is an absolute calmness that radiates from the man. In this way, people think and talk sure of what they believe in and choose!

-Uladzimir, hearing about your new process on the 28th August, it is hard not to notice that it happens on the day of setting free of the Young Front leader Dzmitrij Daszkiewicz…  Is is a coincidence?

-I do not think that this is a coincidence. I think the court appointed this concrete date to prevent me from an idea of welcome Dzmitrij. Otherwise, it is also risky to go to another city if you have a ban of leaving your hometown considering the media  will be present and my attendance will be registered. However, they decided to spell it out and keep me in Minsk on the 28th August.

-You should stay in Minsk, appear in court and the process can last the whole day…

-The process can last the whole day, or 5 minutes… There is no difference because there is often a situation (especially in political affairs) that a judge decides about nothing.  Mostly, facts like how much they should impose and why are established in advance. That is why on the 28th August, in any case, I have to sit here.

-Uladzimir, you are tried exceptionally often.  Are you really such a persistent criminal? Without knowing you or the situation in the country, it could be such an impression!

– I wonder it, why me!  Last year, compared to 2012, pressure wave for Young Front fell down.  I am the most exposed aim, two offences can be attributed to me every day and it will be a reason to administrative arrest or criminal case.

-You have an obligation to stay in Minsk being the only one from Miory, where your family lives. What kind of influence does it have over you and forms of attributed offences?

-I have been registered here, in Minsk, in First-May Region. I have no right to leave Minsk without the permission of the inspectorate.  And the inspectorate, of course, does not allow…

-Why “of course”? How do they justify it?

-“Of course” because the head of the penal and administrative inspectorate declared me in 2012, during entering me into the register in First-May Region of HO: “We will not release you. You have a choice: either you will move under surveillance to Miory for good or you will stay here and not leave the city”. I chose Minsk because I have friends here and I will earn a living easier. Miory is a small provincial town and finding a job here is much more difficult than in Minsk.

– However, you take part in Young Front solidarity actions and you end up in the administrative arrest. Maybe this is the reason of the authorities’ efforts to put obstacles in the way of you?

– In 2013, from January till August, they had already managed to arrest me on the basis of the administrative and legal charges. All of the cases, however, related to the infringement of the supervision principle. The court decided that I broke these principles and it classified me to the administrative arrest. I have not had more arrests, even if it could seem to be strange. In comparison to 2012, when I and friends were doing nothing the whole spring because we had just done time due to an action, they put us at once from the administrative article for the next “twenty four hours”. I began to get used to it. All of us did. We had already thought: if we did that, in that way, a few days later they would arrest us for the next 15 days. In the new year the law-enforcement agency took a new tactic, that is a post factum detainer. Let’s say, there was an action, there were some participants and five people from Young Front were detained post factum,  after a week, in a day or in the same day. The reports were drawn up. Mostly, on the charge of “obscene language”.  As usual: there were no proves that a man took part in an action but they could always e.g. swear… We were such vulgar types.

Of course, the administrative arrest neither enjoys good health nor brings benefits. It is a waste of time. Two weeks is heaps of time for making anything useful and here, they isolate a man and it makes an obstacle in life. Considering that you should earn money for a flat, food, clothes, basic things… And being a month or a half of it behind bars, you need to make up for backlogs at work because there was pressed for money.

-And what is your family opinion?

-My parents got used it, they understand the situation. They say: “Be careful not to give your health to damage”. And my wife supports me! Both of us have the community of opinions. This is the most important. She understands everything and says: “if they arrest you for twenty four hours, I will be waiting for you”. In March and April, when I had been under the administrative arrest, she comes to me everyday bringing parcels.

-Have you already managed to appeal against your first penal sentence?

-My barrister prepared an annulment complaint. We will meet in a few days and then I will appeal. Of course, I will look through the brief and if I have remarks, I will talk them over with the barrister.

-What are your life plans? You could become a programmer… Am I right?

Not really a programmer. (Uladzimir Jaromienak was expelled from Belarusian State University of Radiophysics and Electronics after Ploszcz – palitviazni.info). I had another specialization: I could become an engineer radiophysicist. My branch is connected with design and microschemes production, files… This is my specialization. I had learnt programming the first year, that is why I know only the basics of master’s thesis. Supposedly, it would be needed to create a programme that would relieve a man.

-Microschemes, technique, these are very manly things. Are you going to go abroad to college, what has recently become very popular (of necessity)?

-Learning is very important, however, I do not want to leave the country for good. I was born here. I would like people not to leave this place, where I was born and live, and on the contrary, to visit it! I would like people to come and live normally here. That is why, I do not want to go abroad.

-Thank you very much. We wish you much success! Hopefully, they will not exceed the limit of 3 months in imposed sentences?

-In the magistrates’ court they can reduce a sentence or discontinue it.  In the case of discontinuation, a case went back in the police station, where it is improved and then the court of First-May Region considers it again and can pass bigger sentence.

-Theoretically or practically?

-Practically, the sentence stays without changes. Once, my administrative case was sent back to First-May court that after the retrial introduced no changes. The judge was simply replaced. However, the fact is that nothing new was introduced.

 

palitviazni.info

P.S. The recording of the interview will appear soon on our website.

Other political prisoners

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  • Anatol Paulau
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  • Vasil Starovoytov