{"id":194754,"date":"2026-07-07T13:58:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T10:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/194754\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T13:58:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T10:58:58","slug":"man-against-oppressive-system-autuchovics-20-year-political-struggle","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/194754\/","title":{"rendered":"Man against oppressive system: A\u016dtuchovi\u010d\u2019s 20-year political struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mika\u0142aj A\u016dtuchovi\u010d, an outspoken critic of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s regime, was given his first prison sentence of three and a half years 20 years ago on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Since then, he has been repeatedly thrown in prison for opposing the government. He was free for just seven years out of the last 20.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (Nastoyashchee Vremya)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prisoner of conscience from Va\u016dkavysk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In July 2006, a judge in Hrodna sentenced A\u016dtuchovi\u010d, a 43-year old Va\u016dkavysk-based former Soviet-Afghanistan war veteran turned businessman, to prison for allegedly evading taxes by doing business without a license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities seized 13 vehicles, an apartment and two warehouses. However, many saw his sentence as punishment for criticism of the government and a failed attempt to launch a political career. Two years before he had announced his parliamentary bid but was disqualified from the race by the central election commission controlled by authoritarian ruler Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years in prison for five hunting rifle cartridges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u016dtuchovi\u010d was released early, in January 2008 as the government sought to improve relations with the West by freeing all political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he was arrested one year later in the run-up to the 2010 presidential election. At the time, he continued to criticize the government, campaigned against corruption and advocated for the rights of Afghanistan war veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was given five years in prison for alleged illegal actions involving firearms. Prosecutors initially pressed but dropped terrorism charges, failing to prove his involvement in an arson attack on the home of a former local police chief and conspiracy to assassinate the regional government chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (kp.by)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A\u016dtuchovi\u010d fully served that sentence and was released in April 2014. Six years later, he was arrested again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan\u2019t forgive for what is going on in the country\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although A\u016dtuchovi\u010d was never given a chance to enter public politics, he was outspoken in his criticism of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t accept and forgive for what has been going on in the country,\u201d he wrote on Facebook in May 2019. \u201cForgive would mean endorsing the lawlessness and injustice perpetrated with regard to tens of thousands Belarusians, hundreds and thousands of fabricated criminal cases, including against legal minors. To put this situation right, it is necessary to remove the dictatorial regime stifling our country, follow through with democratic reforms and conduct independent investigations into all contested cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his post, A\u016dtuchovi\u010d declared an ultimatum, threatening to launch an unspecified justice mechanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, he said he was going underground to be able to put his plans into practice. He stopped using mobile phone services because he was followed by police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also criticized peaceful protests of 2020, stressing that opponents should use force to remove \u0141uka\u0161enka from office. In December 2020, authorities arrested him and his alleged associates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (Aryna Arecho\u016dskaja\/Na\u0161a Niva)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seen as \u201clegend\u201d in Hrodna prison<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A\u016dtuchovi\u010d and other people arrested in the case were found guilty of terrorism, the term they often use when alleging involvement in activities to overthrow the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigators accused the group of possessing arms and explosives, maintaining links with Ukraine\u2019s secret services and carrying arson attacks on police vehicles. They even claimed that A\u016dtuchovi\u010d intended to a man-portable air defense system to shoot down a plane carrying the Belarusian ruler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka claimed that his group, which consisted of pensioners, a disabled man and family members of Brest-based priest Siarhiej Rezanovi\u010d, had brought \u201ctons of weapons from Ukraine\u201d to stage terrorist attacks across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 12 defendants were given a total of 197 years and seven months in prison. Only two pleaded guilty. A\u016dtuchovi\u010d pleaded not guilty and was given 25 years in prison, the maximum punishment for involvement in politics in the country so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His 20-year political struggle was more a desperate resistance to the oppressive system with overwhelming power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His health has been weakened by hunger strike and severe prison conditions, but he remains tough as a stone and seen as \u201ca legend\u201d in prison, said Pavie\u0142 Sieviaryniec, a former political prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His former cellmate Alaksandar Fiaduta said that he diligently exercised at the Committee for State Security detention center and showed \u201cmental strength of a real man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (sb.by)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mika\u0142aj A\u016dtuchovi\u010d, an outspoken critic of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s regime, was given his first prison sentence of three and a half years 20 years ago on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Since then, he has been repeatedly thrown in prison for opposing the government. He was free for just seven years out of the last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":194667,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-194754","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMan against oppressive system: A\u016dtuchovi\u010d\u2019s 20-year political struggle | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mika\u0142aj A\u016dtuchovi\u010d, an outspoken critic of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s regime, was given his first prison sentence of three and a half years 20 years ago on\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/194754\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Man against oppressive system: 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