BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/03/2008

Dozens of Belarusian protesters sentenced to jail after defiant demonstrations

The Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus: Dozens of Belarusian protesters who were detained during a defiant protest against President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian government were sentenced Wednesday to jail terms ranging from three to 15 days.

Two reporters, meanwhile, received the maximum 15-day jail term as four Minsk district courts heard the protesters' cases a day after thousands jammed the capital's streets to stage a demonstration honoring a banned holiday.

President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian government had vowed to prevent any rallies marking what the opposition has traditionally called "Freedom Day."

March 25 is the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first, short-lived independent Belarusian state, and a traditional day of demonstration by the opposition.

At least 20 people were sentenced to jail time ranging from three to 15 days, while another 21 were fined up to $500, according to court records.

The Belarusian rights group Vesna said up to 108 people face jail time or fines. The Interior Ministry said, however, that only 88 people were detained during the protest.

Those detained included a Lithuania TV crew and a Polish citizen who was released after several hours. Semyon Pechanko, a reporter for the opposition newspaper Nasha Niva, and photographer Andrei Lyankevich, who was badly beaten by police, each was sentenced to 15 days in jail.

Lukashenko has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator" by the United States and some European countries for his government's efforts to quash opposition groups and independent media.

"Lukashenko has clearly made the West understand that they shouldn't wait for any sort of liberalization in Belarus," opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich said.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/26/news/Belarus-Opposition-Protest.php

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