(more 5 August 1999)
Professor Bandazhevsky founded the Gomel State Medical Institute and
was serving as its rector at the time of his arrest in July 1999. His scientific
work focused on the effects of the Chernobyl disaster on the health of
the people living in and around the city of Gomel, a region close to the
nuclear reactor and thus seriously affected by its radioactive emissions.
He reportedly designed several large-scale scientific research projects
examining the causes of diseases affecting people living in the contaminated
areas, with a particular emphasis on children.
According to Amnesty International, Bandazhevsky was outspoken in his
criticism of the Belarusian authorities’ handling of the Chernobyl disaster’s
impact on the population’s health and had repeatedly stressed the need
to find “innovative solutions” to the problem. He reportedly was particularly
critical of the way that the Ministry of Health spent the scant resources
available for research in this area. Shortly before his arrest, Bandazhevsky
wrote a report about research conducted by the Belarusian Ministry of Health’s
Scientific and Clinical Research Institute for Radiation Medicine on the
effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. In this report, he criticized
the manner in which the government’s research was carried out and its conclusions.
Professor Bandazhevsky was initially arrested at his home in Gomel
on July 13, 1999, by several policemen. He was arrested under the presidential
decree "On Urgent Measures for the Combat of Terrorism and Other Especially
Dangerous Violent Crimes."
On August 5, 1999, however, Professor Bandazhevsky was formally charged
under Article 169 (3) of the Belarusian Criminal Code with allegedly accepting
bribes from students seeking admission to the Gomel Medical Institute.
He was held for more than five months in pre-trial detention under harsh
conditions that included temporary isolation, a poor prison diet, and no
access to legal counsel. During his detention he reportedly suffered from
heart ailments, stomach ulcers, and depression and lost approximately 44
lbs, resulting in his hospitalization. Professor Bandazhevsky was conditionally
released from prison on December 27, 1999, pending trial.