BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

24/04/2008

Belarusian Court Sentences Small-Business Activist To 2 1/2 Years In Prison And Gives Jail Terms, Fines Over Commemorative EventsBelarusian Court Sentences Small-Business Activist To 2 1/2 Years In Prison And Gives Jail Terms, Fines Over Commemorative Events

A district court in Minsk on April 23 sentenced small-business activist Syarhey Parsyukevich to 2 1/2 years in a minimum-security correctional institution for allegedly beating up a police officer, Belapan reported. The court also ordered Parsyukevich to pay 1.1 million rubles ($513) to the police officer in "moral damages." Parsyukevich has been in jail since March 4 in connection with an incident that occurred when he was serving a 15-day jail term over his participation in an unsanctioned protest of small-business owners in Minsk on January 10. Parsyukevich insisted that he was beaten on January 21 by a police officer in the detention center. However, the officer, Alyaksandr Dulub, alleged at the trial that it was he who had been beaten up by Parsyukevich, and he produced a medical certificate of light bodily injuries. According to Dulub, when Parsyukevich did not follow an order, he took him from his cell to an interrogation room, where Parsyukevich punched him in the face. Alyaksandr Taustyka, who was Parsyukevich's cellmate, testified in court that Dulub burst into the cell, rudely ordered Parsyukevich to stand up, kicked him in the legs, and took him away. Taustyka said that about 10 minutes later he and other people in the cell heard Parsyukevich cry: "Help! They are killing me!" Taustyka added that Dulub falsely accused Parsyukevich in order to escape punishment for his violence. AM

A court in Novyya Darohi, Minsk Oblast, on April 23 sentenced opposition politician Vyachaslau Siuchyk to 15 days in jail for "participation in an unsanctioned rally," Belapan reported. Siuchyk on April 19 attended the ceremony of the raising of a commemorative cross at the site where residents of the Drazhna village near Staryya Darohi were massacred by Soviet anti-Nazi guerillas during World War II. The same day, a district court in Homel sentenced activist Uladzimir Nyapomnyashchy to 15 days in jail for violating regulations governing demonstrations. Nyapomnyashchy on March 23 took part in an event called a "historical excursion," which was aimed at marking the 90th anniversary of the Belarusian People's Republic. On April 22, the same court sentenced activists Alyaksandr Pratsko and Svyataslau Shapavalau on similar charges to seven and 10 days in jail, respectively. Three other participants in the event -- Ivan Adamenka, Tatsyana Bublikava, and Dzmitry Kutasau -- were fined from $245 to $326. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/04/3-cee/cee-240408.asp

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