Andrej Klimau is a well known businessman, a Member of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus of the 13th convocation. One of the initiators of impeachment against President Lukashenko in November 1996. A Member of the United Civic Party.
Andrej Klimau was arrested three times for political reasons.
He was born on 17 September 1965 in Minsk. He graduated from the Lviv Technical College of the Ministry of Interior (1986). He served in the administration of internal affairs (1983-1991), was the director of a small company (Minsk), Chairman of the Board of joint stock company (1991-1996).
In the mid 90s, Andrej Klimau was in the top five best-known Belarusian businessmen, he led a public company, Andrei Klimov & Co., Which dealt with building industry, and performed a large public procurements. He was elected a deputy to the Supreme Council of the 13th convocation.
Chronicle of repression
On 11 February 1998 Andrej Klimau was arrested and charged under two articles; the art. 91 of the Criminal Code (theft of property on a large scale ), the art. 151, part 2 of the Criminal Code (illegal conduct of business). In arrest Klimau announced a hunger strike in protest against the violations of the Constitution of 1994, according to which he was entitled to immunity. The Supreme Council several times insisted on releasing Klimau.
Shortly before the arrest, Andrej Klimau, as a deputy wrote an open letter about violations committed by Aliaksandr Lukashenko. Klimau reminded in it that the 1996 referendum was not legitimized. He was arrested the next day after the meeting of the committee, that decided that there is sufficient legal basis to launch a new procedure for impeachment. During the investigation Klimau refused to testify, citing the unlawful detention.
After a year and five months of investigation, in August 1999, the legal proceedings began. Klimau was accused under two new articles; the art. 171 of the Criminal Code (forgery) and the art. 150, part 2 (subreption). On 13 December 1999 Andrej Klimau was brutally beaten and forcibly taken to the Leninski District Court in Minsk for questioning. The preliminary doctor’s examination revealed craniocerebral trauma and abdominal injuries.
On 17 March 2000 Andrej Klimau was sentenced to six years imprisonment. On 25 March 2002 he was released from prison on parole.
Andrej was arrested for the second time in December 2005 for a street action ‘Revolution’. After the victory of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine Andrej Klimau announced that the Belarusian revolution will take place on 25 March 2005. The authorities dispersed the demonstration. On 10 June 2005, the court found Klimau guilty of organizing group actions disturbing public order and sentenced him to one year and six months imprisonment. He was released on 22 December 2006.
For the third time Klimau was arrested on 3 April 2007 under the article 361 of the Criminal Code (incitement to overthrow the political system), for an article published on the website Charter97. The sentence was secretly issued in August 2007 by the Central Court in Minsk – 2 years imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony. Andrej served sentence in the Mozyr penal colony. He was released on 15 February 2008 under the decree of Aliaksandr Lukashenko.
