Belarusians on "house chemistry" for political reasons offered relief — to switch to correctional labor

Belarusians sentenced to "house chemistry" (home confinement with restrictions) under political articles are being offered a lighter punishment by the police. Nasha Niva knows of five such cases, but it seems the phenomenon is wider.

It has not yet been possible to understand the system of which categories of convicts inspectors made such an offer, and to whom not (or not yet). All five of these individuals have been on "house chemistry" for quite some time; some have about a year left on their term, others a few months. Among the five reported cases are both Minsk and small district centers.

In all these stories, the discussion is about switching from "house chemistry" (in legal terms — "restriction of freedom without referral to an open-type correctional institution") to correctional labor.

Contrary to stereotypical perception, correctional labor is not about working some extra hours as a janitor or sorting garbage. The system works differently. A person on correctional labor works where they normally work, but the state takes from 10% to 25% of their earnings.

In all cases known to Nasha Niva, those on "house chemistry" were warned that they would have the maximum possible 25% of their earnings withheld.

However, other restrictions are lifted — there will be no strict schedule for when one must be at home, and there should be no police checks at any time. Restrictions on alcohol consumption are partially lifted. At work, naturally, one must be sober, but there is no absolute ban on relaxing at home.

The decision to transfer to correctional labor is made by the court. If the police draft the corresponding petition, there are no problems with making the decision; it is signed almost automatically.

For people convicted under non-political articles — for alimony or theft — this is a common practice. But for "political prisoners," this mechanism has not been applied previously.

The exact number of people on "house chemistry" for political reasons is unknown. It is at least hundreds of people, but it is possible that the number has exceeded 1000. The absolute majority of those convicted in the Hayun case, as well as those who were brought to justice for participating in protests before the statutes of limitations expired, are sent to "house chemistry."

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