Political prisoner Andrei Klimau released from colony

Political prisoner Andrei Klimau has been released and is to arrive in Minsk on 16 February morning. Wife of political prisoner Tatsyana Klimava said it to the Charter’97 press center. “Andrei phoned home. Our daughter spoke to him. He said he was being guarded to Kalinkavichy from the Mazyr colony. There he will take a train and arrive in Minsk in the morning on 16 February. He didn’t manage to say anything more,” Tatsyana Klimava said.

“It’s very odd, because Lukashenka has said today in Vitsebsk there are no political prisoners in our country, and I have lost all hope. News about Andrei’s release has put me into joyful embarrassment. I don’t find word to say something. I can’t yet suppose how his release is arranged officially,” wife of political prisoner said.

Andrei Klimau was arrested on April 3, 2007 for publishing articles on the Internet. A criminal case was brought up against the politician for violation of Article 361 Criminal Code (appeals via the mass media to overthrow or forcibly change the constitutional regime). A. Klimau was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment on 1 August.

Earlier Klimau, an active opponent of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, spent 4 years in prison for economic criminal charges. He was sentenced to 15 months of corrective labour for staging street protest rallies on Freedom Day in 2005. Amnesty International recognized Andrei Klimau prisoner of conscience.

Political prisoners Alyaksandr Kazulin, Alyaksandr Zdzvizhkou and Andrei Kim are still in Belarusian prisons.