Syarhei Kavalenka to welcome in New Year behind the bars

The opposition activist has been put to prison for 10 days.

The ruling of the court of Pershamajski district of Minsk was passed on December 27 by Judge Andrei Preis, BelaPAN informs.

Syarhei Kavalenka was found guilty of petty hooliganism under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Code.

The activist had been studying in Poland since 2013. He returned home for a vacation a week before, Alena Kavalenka told. He was detained on December 24, soon after a huge white-red-white flag was hanged out on a high-rise building in central Vitsebsk.

The events in the court room were called a total lawlessness by Alena Kavalenka. She stressed that her husband was not allowed to make use of his lawyer’s services. Instead of that he was offered services of the state lawyer on duty, who was not defending the accused in fact.

Kavalenka is to serve the term in the temporary holding facility of Vitsebsk. He will be released on January 3 at about 5 p.m. Two days ago, protesting against his detention, the activist went on a hunger strike.

Syarhei Kavalenka was detained by police many times. Three years ago he was up in court for hanging a white-red-white flag on the main New Year Tree in Vitsebsk. Behind the bars he went on a hunger strike, it lasted about 2 months.