Mikalay Autukhovich, Date of Birth, Place of Birth
TweetMikalay Autukhovich
Belarusian businessman and dissident
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Vawkavysk, Belarus
About Mikalay Autukhovich
- Mikalay Autukhovich is a Belarusian businessman and political dissident who has twice been imprisoned by the government of Belarus.
- Belarusian courts have found him guilty of tax evasion and terrorism, but international human rights organization Amnesty International has stated that he is a prisoner of conscience imprisoned solely for peaceful protest. Prior to his arrest, Autukhovich worked at the Vaukavysk-based taxi company Nika-taxi 22222.
- He also ran as an opposition candidate in the 2004 Belarusian parliamentary elections.On 7 July 2006, he was arrested and charged with "large scale tax evasion and running business without a registration and a license".
- He was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to three-and-a-half years' home arrest.
- He was released in early 2009 following "pressure from the European Union and the United States".Shortly after his release, he was charged with involvement in a 2005 arson case, along with two other activists.
- Authorities later added additional charges of illegal weapons possession and "preparing a terrorist act".
- Autukhovich responded to the charges with a three-month hunger strike that lasted from February to April of that year, demanding that he be allowed to face to trial.
- In May, Autukhovich was tried, and while the terrorism charge against him was dropped, he was convicted of illegal possession of weapons and ammunition and given a five-year, two-month prison sentence.Autukhovich is currently serving his sentence in a labor camp in Ivatsevichy.
- He reportedly lacks legal representation after his lawyer, Paval Sapelka, was disbarred for representing opposition presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov in court.
- In December 2011, prison officials reported that Autukhovich had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists, but had survived and was in stable condition.
- According to the Viasna Human Rights Centre, following the incident, he was moved into a "closed regime", largely isolating him from contact with other prisoners.Radio Free Europe has described Autukhovich as being regarded as a political prisoner by "activists at home and abroad".
- Amnesty International has named him a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release.
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