Belarusian Generation Y logbook

During the past months, the Belarusian public has been following something that one day might become a plot of a new Hollywood conspiracy action movie. The story of Zmicier Zhaleznichenka, a student expelled twice, does not fail to surprise.

A week after been expelled in September of 2007, Zmicier was arrested as a suspect in a rape case. The charges were withdrawn several hours after the arrest, and changed for charges in an administrative court – i.e. swearing in a public place (nowadays a preferred method against participants of street protests or political activists as a formal reason for detention). The judge gave him eight days in prison and a penalty of approx 200 Euros. Meanwhile, the local army office declared that he would not be able to get drafted into the army.

After the court had declined his complaint on the actions of the university in November, the regional court suddenly approved it at the beginning of January, and the student was reinstated to the University. Many regarded this overruling as the first case in which a political activist won in court.

This cheerful moment, however, did not last very long. After Zhaleznichenka’s victory in the court, the Rector of the University expelled him again. Since the court had overruled the previous decision by the Rector, Zmicier was officially a student at the moment of his detention in September, and administrative charges would have technically violated the internal university rules as well. Therefore, the Rector was convinced that the too-active student cannot study.

Before Zmicier could understand what was happening, he received another call from the local army office on January 23rd. Army officials had suddenly changed their mind and decided that he was valid for the service and had to start on January 25th. Next day, while finishing different things before starting the army (Zmicier decided to send a repeated complaint about being expelled for the second time), he got arrested again, accused of stealing money from a man at the railway station. It appears that the man, from whom the bag with the money was stolen, recognized Zmicier. Nonetheless, late in the evening of that same day, he was set free to spend his last night together with his parents and younger brother.

Next morning he left to join the army at Zhlobin. At the army complex, Zmiecier started a starvation protest, officially stating that he refuses to eat because he is protesting against repeated breaches of his rights during the last months. Yesterday, January 28, he was taken to the army hospital due to an acute state of starvation. Radio liberty journalist managed to get to the hospital and talk to Zmicier.

The press secretary of the Ministry of Defense, to which all journalists who tried to contact Zmicier were sent, said that since Zmicier had officially stated that he is starving to be discharged from the army, his starving protest can be interpreted as a method of “avoiding army service through the deliberate imposition of disability on oneself”, which is punishable under Article 447 of the Belarusian Criminal Code.

Zmicier says that everyday someone talks to him, threatening him with different punishments. Two days ago he had a 3-hour conversation with the psychiatrist, who then ruled that he was healthy. He keeps strong in his protest, but does not know what will come out of it. Zmicier has been starving for 5 days already. He has been sent to the army hospital for medical tests.