BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

01/11/2006

Belarus opposition activist sentenced to 18 months imprisonment

Minsk- A Belarusian court on Wednesday sentenced an opposition activist to 18 months imprisonment for membership of an organization which has not approved by the state. After a two-day trial, Dmitriy Dashkevich, a member of the banned Youth Front political group, was found guilty of "activities within a non-registered organization."

Around 300 Dashkevich supporters and Aleksander Milinkevich, the leader of Belarus' weak opposition and former presidential candidate, protested outside the Minsk court building, Interfax news agency reported.

Belarusian President Aleksander Lukshenko defeated Milinkevich in a Soviet-style election in March. A former collective farm boss, Lukashenko dramatically widened the state's ability to crack down on protest during his years as the country's unchallenged leader.

A key feature of the increasingly repressive legislation came in 2005, with additions to the criminal code making membership of or even being associated with public organizations not sanctioned by the regime illegal.

The law has made most forms of protest against Lukashenko illegal, and usually impossible.

Source:

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Belarus_opposition_activist_sentenc_11012006.html