BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

23/04/2008

Belarusian Court Sentences 10 Youth Activists Over Unsanctioned Rally As Opposition Politician Is Fined Over Petition

A district court in Minsk on April 22 sentenced 10 youth activists to prison, labor, or fines for their "active participation in group actions grossly disturbing the public peace" during an unsanctioned demonstration on January 10, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. The rally was held in support of the rights of small-business owners and market vendors. The court sentenced Andrey Kim, who was also found guilty of "violence or threats of violence against a police officer," to 18 months in a minimum security correctional institution. Seven activists -- Mikhail Pashkevich, Alyaksey Bondar, Artsyom Dubski, Ales Straltsou, Ales Charnyshou, Mikhail Kryvau, and Tatsyana Tsishkevich -- were sentenced to two years of "corrective labor" at a residential facility. Uladzimir Syarheyeu and Anton Koypish were fined 3.5 million rubles ($1,633) each. The trials of another four activists on the same charge -- Alyaksandr Barazenka, Pavel Vinahradau, Mikhail Subach, and Maksim Dashuk -- were postponed to a later date. Jonathan Moore, the deputy mission chief at the U.S. Embassy in Minsk, described the 18-month prison term given to Kim as a political decision. "The obvious conclusion is that Andrey Kim is a political prisoner," Moore told Belapan. "The United States has called and will continue to call on the Belarusian regime to release all political prisoners. At present these are Alyaksandr Kazulin and Andrey Kim," he added, referring to the former presidential candidate who is serving a 5 1/2-year sentence for organizing antigovernment protests. AM

A district court in Minsk on April 22 fined opposition politician Pavel Sevyarynets 1.4 million rubles ($653) for collecting signatures in support of legislation that would ease restrictions on religious worship, Belapan reported. The court found Sevyarynets guilty under an article of the Administrative Offenses Code regulating citizens' participation in initiating laws. Sevyarynets told the court that over 50,000 signatures were collected under the petition, which calls for reforms of the regulations that currently allow authorities to ban religious services and the construction of places of worship, expel foreign priests, and keep possession of churches seized from religious communities during the Soviet era. Sevyarynets described the court ruling as "illegal," and told Belapan that he intends to inform the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress about the case. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/04/3-cee/cee-230408.asp

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