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Michael MarinichFormer statesman of Belarus.
Date of Birth: 13.01.1940
Country:  Belarus |
Content:
Biography of Mikhail Marinich
Mikhail Marinich is a former statesman of Belarus. On the day before the start of 2005, one more political prisoner was added in Belarus. Well-known politician Mikhail Marinich was sentenced to five years of strict regime with confiscation of property. The court found him guilty of embezzlement of office equipment (which was gratuitously transferred by the US Embassy in Belarus to the association he headed, "Business Initiative"). The absurd accusation and equally absurd sentence were given at a very opportune moment: when the whole world was immersed in sweet New Year's slumber, fueled by alcohol. It seemed like nothing new: the authorities simply got rid of another serious competitor in the 2006 presidential elections. But the story began even earlier - in 1999, when the idea of a hardware coup emerged in Belarus...
Early Life and Political Career
Mikhail Marinich is a quiet and intellectual person from the "perestroika" nomenclature. He was the mayor of Minsk and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus in the 12th convocation. In 1994, when the government was formed after the first presidential elections, Marinich became the Minister of Foreign Economic Relations. He was clearly not among the category of public politicians, did not get involved in scandals, and was not involved in corruption. Therefore, he held the position for four years, unlike others who were regularly "screwed" by Lukashenko, according to his own definition. In 1998, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations was merged with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, Marinich remained as a minister without portfolio for a short time - at the beginning of 1999, he was sent as the ambassador of Belarus to Latvia. At that time, the then head of the administration, Mikhail Myasnikovich, came to relax on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Riga. The long conversations between Myasnikovich and Marinich during leisurely walks along the Baltic coast, without eavesdropping or spies around, were frank: something needed to be done, the current path was a dead end, and soon the whole country could run into a solid wall somewhere in the backyard of civilization, and it would take decades to get out of there.
In general, they decided that the situation could be changed not by the opposition, but by the nomenclature. Mikhail Myasnikovich said: in two years, there will be elections, I will nominate my candidacy, and I will need a strong team of reliable people from our circle; Lukashenko will not dare to act against us, he won't scare the people with the threat of nationalism - we are not the People's Front... I don't know how many such voyages and conversations Myasnikovich had. But either he did not secure the support of enough like-minded bureaucrats, or Lukashenko was timely informed of the cunning plans for an internal coup - most likely, both. But in the summer of 2001, when Mikhail Marinich unexpectedly interrupted his successful career, resigned from public service, and returned from Riga to Minsk, the head of the administration was silent and speechless, responding to questions about the already formulated plans with a puzzled "I don't understand."
By the way, Latvian politicians, who had become friends with Ambassador Marinich, were horrified when he announced that he was resigning and returning to Minsk. They told him: "It won't work, you will be deceived, no one touches you here, stay until retirement, then start a business here in Latvia - your connections with the business circles are excellent, they will help you, and you will earn money peacefully. Otherwise, they might imprison you"... Then, in the summer of 2001, Mikhail Marinich decided: Myasnikovich was probably intimidated, but the idea of a hardware coup still needed to be implemented, which meant that it was necessary to raise the falling banner before it was completely soiled in the mud. And he announced that he was running for president. However, Marinich was not given the opportunity to register: although he collected even more than the required one hundred thousand signatures, about twenty thousand mysteriously disappeared during the registration process. So, the refusal to register was accompanied by a seemingly plausible reason: not enough signatures of voters.
After the elections, people expected anything from Mikhail Marinich: some expected public repentance and a return to public service, while others expected him to join one of the opposition coalitions. Neither of these happened. Mikhail Marinich created the association "Business Initiative" and seemed to have left politics for the economy. However, from time to time, there were new waves of rumors in Belarusian political circles: "Marinich is preparing for the 2006 elections", "Marinich was received in Washington at the highest level", "Marinich was in the Kremlin yesterday"... And consultations with Belarusian political groups became more frequent. And then Mikhail Afanasyevich no longer hid his plans regarding the next presidential elections... In the spring of last year, after the elections in Russia, the Belarusian political elite was shocked by the news, probably costing Marinich his freedom: allegedly, a month after his inauguration, he would be received by Vladimir Putin... Whether it was true or just a rumor or provocation, on April 26, Mikhail Marinich was arrested and placed in the KGB pre-trial detention center.
The charges were brought as quickly as they crumbled to dust. For example, during a search at his country house in the presence of the suspect, the investigators found a pistol that Marinich had never seen before - naturally, unregistered. Mikhail Afanasyevich intuitively hid his hands behind his back to avoid touching it and leaving fingerprints. As it turned out, he was right: the accusation of "illegal actions with firearms, ammunition, and explosives" was dropped only in court, no matter how the prosecution tried to use the fake pistol against Marinich. A US Embassy official in Belarus testified that the computers mentioned in the accusation were indeed transferred to the "Business Initiative" association on a temporary basis completely free of charge. In addition, the US Department of State made a special statement, stating that it had no claims against Mikhail Marinich. However, the situation was clear to everyone: the case was "made up" in order to exclude the former minister and ambassador from the 2006 presidential campaign. It was expected that he would be given a suspended sentence or a deferred execution of the sentence - and let him quietly sit in 2006, alone with his own criminal record.
But no one expected a five-year strict regime with confiscation of property. Although the prosecutor initially demanded six years of imprisonment. This is despite the fact that in Minsk, another case is currently being considered against the former Chief of Staff of the President, Galina Zhuravkova, who, despite proven embezzlement of three million dollars, has only been charged with four years of imprisonment.
In his final statement, Mikhail Marinich said, "I am deeply convinced that the lawlessness, violence, and cynicism used against me will sooner or later return to the instigators and perpetrators. I believe and know that the wait won't be long. Change is on the way"... He didn't know about the five years yet. When the verdict was announced, Marinich shouted, "Shame!" His son Pavel shouted, "The earth will burn under your feet!" The prosecutor, knocking over chairs, rushed out of the courtroom.
There was still a whole day left until New Year. Unable to believe that he could end up with five years of imprisonment for accepting assistance from the US Embassy, many who were worried about Mikhail Afanasyevich hoped that maybe it was all staged, and tomorrow, on December 31, Lukashenko would pardon Marinich. They thought: maybe it's just a PR move - "look at how generous I am, and I'm confident in my upcoming victory in the elections, I'm not afraid of any competitors"... None of this happened.
Several factors played a role in Marinich's case: class hatred (how can you not imprison a person who is running for president, wears glasses, and puts accents correctly?), personal meanness, and the magical word "Kremlin" mentioned in connection with Mikhail Marinich. As is known, Lukashenko is more afraid of the Kremlin than of an internal conspiracy or opposition protest. And he hates it - accordingly. However, he hates everything that in any way can threaten the stability of his power. Especially now, after the events in Ukraine, when the words of Mikhail Marinich "change is on the way" can be signed by the vast, beautiful world - so wonderful for a person and so terrible for Lukashenko...
