Arrests of oppositionists in Vitsebsk continue
13- 15.01.2010, 11:07
A young activist Taras Surhan, a friend of Syarhei Kavalenka, who hung the national flag, has been sentenced to 7 days of arrest.
T. Tsyhankova, a judge of Chyhunachny district court of Vitsebsk has found hi guilty of “hooliganism” (foul speech). This article is actively used in Belarus to arrest oppositionists in order to mask political grounds of crackdown.
Taras Surhan tried to contest the fact of hooliganism: he told that on January 9 he went out of his house to throw out rubbish, and unknown persons told him he should get into the car and go with them. The people in mufti turned out to be policemen, and they were witnesses in the court. They said Surhan used foul speech, Radio Svaboda informs.
The oppositionist challenged the judge saying he does not trust the court to try this case. But his challenge was overruled.
Pro-democracy activists lodged an appeal to the chairperson of the court Raisa Lupyankova that judge Tsyhankova was rude and discriminated against the accused.
Right after the ruling of the court was announced, Taras Surhan was placed under arrest and taken to the remand prison, where he is to spend the next 7 days.
“My arrest is the start of provocations against all opposition activists in Vitsebsk, after a white-red-white flag appeared on the top of the city’s New Year tree. Now provocations, preventive arrests are to be applied against all oppositionists of Vitsebsk; they would be charged with invented violations. The regime has simply frightened and will act cruelly,” said Surhan before the court.
We remind that on January 7 a national white-red-white flag was hung out at the top of the 35-meter New Year’s Tree at Victory square in Vitsebsk. Syarhei Kavalenka, 34, was detained near the tree. On January 10, he was thrown into a temporary detention facility for two months on a decision of the prosecutor of Vitsebsk. A case under article 339, part 2 of the Criminal Code (repeated hooliganism, or committed by a group of persons, or connected with committing less serious bodily harm) was instigated against him. Under this article a punishment could be up to 6 years of imprisonment. On January 12 the oppositionist was released wit a written undertaking not to leave the place.
