BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

29/05/2007

Belarus youth activists fined, warned; defendant says lenience politically motivated

The Associated Press

MINSK, Belarus: A court in Belarus on Tuesday convicted four young activists of participating in an unauthorized opposition group, fining three and letting one off with a warning - lenient punishments that one of the defendants contended were motivated by the president's desire to appease the West.

The activists had faced sentences of up to two years in prison for taking part in activities of the Young Front, an opposition organization that authorities in the tightly controlled ex-Soviet republic have refused to grant official registration.

Before March 2006 elections marred by widespread arrests and harassment of government opponents, authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko initiated legislation criminalizing participation in unregistered organizations. Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich is serving an 18-month sentence handed down in November.

Three young men were ordered to pay fines ranging from 930,000 to 1.25 million Belarusian rubles (US$435 to US$580; ?320 to ?430) , while a 16-year-old girl, Nasta Polozhanko, received a warning.

"Such soft sentence can be explained by Lukashenko's desire to make peace with the European Union and the United States," Polozhanko said outside the courthouse, where the defendants were greeted by about 100 supporters. "There is no justice in Belarus, there are only the interests of Lukashenko."

Lukashenko has made Belarus into one of Europe's most repressive societies, quashing dissent and closing down opposition media. The U.S. and the EU have imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and top members of his government, and he has shown some signs of seeking to improve relations with the West amid strains in ties with Russia.

Two opposition activists whose three-year prison sentences prompted condemnation by the U.S. and EU were freed a year early last week.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/29/europe/EU-GEN-Belarus-Opposition.php