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Valiery Lievanieuski insists that a chamber for believers be opened in Ivatsevichy prison and also proposes computer workshops be organized for the prisoners

The leader of the Hrodna businessmen Valiery Lievanieuski (Valery Levaneuski) who is now serving a sentence in Ivatsevichy Prison asks the administration to open a chamber for believers of various denominations. Uladzimir Levanieuski, the prisoner`s son, told Radio Liberty about this initiative of his father. According to Valiery Lievanieuski, most of the prisoners are atheists and those who believe in God are mostly Orthodox. However, there are quite a few Catholics, Protestants and representatives of other denominations. Valiery Lievanieuski himself is Catholic. The prisoner`s son reminded that the father never was a staunch believer, however he went to church regularly.

Their family celebrated the major religious holidays. In the prison Valiery Lievanieuski, just like other prisoners, developed a renewed interest in the religion, however, the prison does not have a place where a prisoner may pray without interference.

What was the attitude to the initiative of Valiery Lievanieuski in the administration of Ivatsevichy prison? An orthodox priests comes to see the believers, and on Sundays a representative of the Protestant denomination also comes, says the prison governor Ivan Luksha. The Prison Administration has authorized this. However, there is no special room.

By the way, the reference to the absence of a room was voiced earlier when Valiery Lievanieuski wanted a library to be opened in Ivatsevichy prison. The prisoner wrote many complaints to the management of the prison system and when a room was provided, he contributed to the provision of books. According to Valiery Lievanieuski, now the prison library has more than 1000 books.

Valiery Lievanieuski proposed to the administration computer courses be organized for the prisoners. He would assemble a computer himself. He may be an instructor. However, this initiative of the famous prisoner did not meet with support from the prisoner management.

The information department of “Viasna”

http://charter97.org/eng/news/2005/10/03/lev

The additional information

Valery Levaneuski (Russian: Левоневский Валерий Станиславович) – Belarussian political and social activist, former political prisoner. Amnesty International recognizes him as a prisoner of conscience

On 7 September 2004, he was sentenced to two years in prison for publicly insulting the president of Belarus (A.Lukashenko). The judge decreed that a leaflet which Levaneuski had distributed prior to demonstrations on 1 May 2004 in particular contained a text:

“come and say that you are against ’somebody’ going on holiday skiing in Austria and having a good time at your cost”

Since Alexander Lukashenko is known to have spent his holidays in Austria, the judge decide that leaflet contains a public insult to the President.

On 16 September 2004 European Parliament calls on the Belarus authorities to release immediately Valery Levaneuski and all other imprisoned political opponents of the regime.

Valery Levaneuski – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Official site (English)

Official site (Russian and English)

Official Site 2 (Russian and English)