BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/05/2007

Opposition youth on trial in Belarus

MINSK, May 28 (Itar-Tass) - The trial of members of the opposition youth group Young Front opened in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Monday.

They are accused of the activity in the unregistered organization, a charge carrying two years on prison.

Boris Goretsky, Dmitry Fedoruk, Oleg Korban and Anastasia Polozhanko are on the trial.

Another activist of the Young Front, Alexei Yanushevsky, figures in the criminal case. He went to the Czech Republic and asked political asylum.

Members of several Western embassies are watching the trial.

The opposition-minded youth held a protest action near the court building.

The Young Front is the most active part of the Belarusian opposition's nationalist branch.

Its members take part almost in all street actions of the opposition.

Police repeatedly detained many members of the Young Front.

Its leaders tried to register their organization, but the Justice Ministry denied this.

In last year's November, the Young Front' leader Dmitry Dashkevich was sentenced to one and a half years in prison for his activity in the unregistered association.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11571646&PageNum=0