BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/04/2008

10 Opposition Activists Go On Trial In Belarus

MINSK, Belarus (AFP)--Ten opposition activists went on trial in the Belarus capital Wednesday for holding antigovernment protests that could bring them up to three years in jail.

The 10 face criminal charges of "organizing and preparing activities that severely violate social order, or participating in them."

The charges relate to a protest Jan. 10 involving youth organizations and small-scale traders and business people, who briefly blocked Minsk's main street.

Such traders have been at the forefront of recent protests against President Alexander Lukashenko's leadership, described as a dictatorship by the U.S.

One of the 10 faces an additional charge of hitting a policeman at another protest Jan. 21.

All deny the charges against them.

"The authorities decided to frighten young people by pressing charges against a small number of activists. In reality there was no violence," one of the accused, Ales Straltsov, told AFP.

Lukashenko has retained close ties with Soviet-era master Moscow while resisting Western calls to democratize.

Source:

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080416%5cACQDJON200804161241DOWJONESDJONLINE000838.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=10%20Opposition%20Activists%20Go%20On%20Trial%20In%20Belarus%20-%20AFP

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