Mikhail Marinich
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Mikhail Afanasievich Marynich ( be, Міхаіл Апана́савіч Марыніч; russian: Михаил Афанасьевич Маринич, 13 January 1940 — 17 October 2014) was a
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
ian diplomat, public figure, and opposition leader from
Homiel Voblast Gomel Region or Gomel Oblast or Homiel Voblasts ( be, Го́мельская во́бласць, Homielskaja vobłasć, russian: Гомельская область, Gomelskaya oblast) is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center i ...
. He was a
Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
city mayor, minister of foreign economic affairs and ambassador. He was also the inspirational leader for
Zubr Zubr may refer to: *Żubr or Zubr, the name in several Slavic languages for the wisent or European bison (''Bison bonasus'') *Zubr (political organization), a civic youth organization in Belarus *''Zubr'', a novel by Daniil Granin * TOZ-55 "Zubr", a ...
, a youth resistance movement. In 2001 Marynich resigned from his position of Belarus Ambassador to Latvia, made a public statement against the Belarus political regime and ran for the Presidency. He was among the first public officials in Belarus to resign and start a political fight against
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
. Such a step was seen as a large risk given that a number of Lukashenko's opponents disappeared or were killed in the late 1990s. After the election Marynich established the Business Initiative
NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
and became one of the opposition leaders who had immense support and respect from his former colleagues, business community and the political opposition. In early 2004 Marynich was arrested for his political beliefs. He spent 8 months in prison before trial. During this time the regime was trying to come up with a reason for a criminal case. On December 30, 2004 Marynich was accused and imprisoned on dubious charges of stealing computers from an NGO, of which he was himself a director. The computers belonged to the US Embassy, and the US Department issued a statement saying they didn't have any claims against Marynich. The United States condemned this abuse and earlier abuses of the judicial system by the Lukashenko regime to persecute Belarusian citizens for their political beliefs. Marynich was given a five-year sentence. In March 2005, in Orsha prison, Marynich suffered a cerebral stroke. The stroke was provoked by the prison administration when Marynich was denied access to his medicines after a very hard transportation in unheated train wagons from Minsk to Orsha. He was told along with other prisoners to stay on his knees on the train platform. Even after the stroke Marynich was not released from prison. Amid growing domestic and international pressure he was released from jail one year later, on April 14, 2006, shortly after Lukashenko started his controversial third term in office. In 2006, Amnesty International declared that it considered him a prisoner of conscience. In 2010, the UN
Human Rights Committee The United Nations Human Rights Committee is a treaty body composed of 18 experts, established by a 1966 human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee meets for three four-week sessions per y ...
found that in Marynich's case, Belarus violated articles 7, 9, 10, paragraph 1, and 14, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty that commits nations to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, fr ...
. Marynich died on 17 October 2014, at the age of 74. Marynich is survived by three sons, Igor, Pavel and Mikhail. Marynich's first wife is called Ludmila. His widow Tatyana Marynich is mother of their son Mikhail.


References


External links


BBC News article


1940 births Ambassadors of Belarus to Latvia Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Belarus Government ministers of Belarus 2014 deaths Members of the Supreme Council of Belarus People from Pietrykaw District United Nations Human Rights Committee case law Belarusian prisoners and detainees Belarusian civil engineers {{Belarus-bio-stub