Mikhail Marynich facts for kids
Mikhail Afanasievich Marynich (Belarusian: Міхаіл Апана́савіч Марыніч; Russian: Михаил Афанасьевич Маринич, 13 January 1940 — 17 October 2014) was an important person from Belarus. He was a diplomat, a public figure, and a leader who spoke out against the government. He came from the Homiel Voblast area.
Mikhail Marynich held many important jobs. He was the mayor of Minsk, which is the capital city of Belarus. He also worked as a minister for foreign economic affairs. This means he helped Belarus with its business dealings with other countries. He was also an ambassador, representing Belarus in other nations. Marynich was a big inspiration for Zubr, a youth group that worked for change.
Standing Up for Change
In 2001, Mikhail Marynich was the Belarusian Ambassador to Latvia. He decided to leave his job and speak out against the government in Belarus. He then ran for president. This was a very brave step. At that time, it was risky for people to disagree with the country's leader, Alexander Lukashenko. Marynich was one of the first high-ranking officials to do this.
After the election, Marynich started a group called the Business Initiative NGO. An NGO is a group that works for a cause, not for profit. He became a respected leader among those who wanted change. Many of his former co-workers, business people, and other political leaders supported him.
Unfair Arrest and Imprisonment
In early 2004, Mikhail Marynich was arrested. Many believed he was arrested because of his political views. He spent eight months in prison before his court case. During this time, the government tried to find a reason to keep him in jail.
On December 30, 2004, Marynich was accused of taking computers from the NGO he led. However, these computers belonged to the US Embassy. The United States government clearly stated that they had no issues with Marynich. They said that Belarus was using unfair legal actions to punish its citizens for their political beliefs.
Marynich was sentenced to five years in prison. In March 2005, while in a prison in Orsha, Marynich became very sick. He suffered a stroke. This happened after a difficult trip in cold train wagons. He was also denied his medicines. Even after his stroke, he was not released from prison. However, many people in Belarus and around the world spoke up for him. Because of this pressure, he was released from jail about a year later, on April 14, 2006. This was shortly after Lukashenko began his third term as president.
Human Rights and Legacy
In 2006, Amnesty International is a group that works for human rights. They said that Mikhail Marynich was a "prisoner of conscience." This means he was put in prison simply for his beliefs, not for committing a real crime.
In 2010, the UN Human Rights Committee looked into Marynich's case. This committee checks if countries are treating people fairly. They found that Belarus had not followed important rules about human rights in Marynich's case.
Mikhail Marynich passed away on 17 October 2014, when he was 74 years old. He is remembered as a brave leader who stood up for what he believed in. He had three sons named Igor, Pavel, and Mikhail. His first wife was Ludmila, and his widow was Tatyana Marynich.
