BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

12/04/2007

Belarusian Authorities Release Oppositionist On Bail

Belarusian authorities released United Civic Party activist Dzyanis Dzyanisau on bail on April 11 from a detention center in Vitsyebsk, Belapan reported, quoting Andrey Kim of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC). Bail was 15,500,000 rubles ($7,260). Kim said that the family and friends of Dzyanisau collected the bail money over the course of three weeks and paid it on April 9. Dzyanisau, who played an active part in a three-day protest against Alyaksandr Lukashenka's reelection as president in March 2006, was arrested in Homyel on February 16 on a charge of attempting to organize mass riots. The charge is believed to stem from Dzyanisau's arrest in Vitsyebsk last summer, when police detained him for passing out leaflets titled "Bunt" (Riot) during an open-air concert. Kim said that BHC is demanding that the charge against Dzyanisau be dropped on the grounds that it is unfounded and politically motivated. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/04/3-CEE/cee-120407.asp