Businessmen’s Leader Arrested For 10 Days :: Charter'97 :: News

Today the court of Partyzan district of Minsk sentenced the leader of the national public association Perspektiva Anatol Shumchanka to a 10-days arrest. The businessman was charged with violation of the Article 167 Part 1 of the Administrative Code for handing out leaflets “Kommersnat” at the territory of trade center Zhdanovichi. The court found in the contents of the leaflet the call to take part in an unsanctioned meeting. As we have informed, for a week already signatures of market vendors are collected under a letter to the government with the demand to cancel the new system VAT for private entrepreneurs who already pay a single tax. These signatures were to be given to the Business and Investment Department of The Economy Ministry today, on the day of the nationwide strike of entrepreneurs. This information was printed in the leaflet, for which Anatol Shumchanka was accused.

The leader of business association Perspektiva Anatol Shumchanka was detained on February 9 before the nationwide strike of vendors, and taken to the Partyzan district police department of Minsk. During the detention he was told that he was a culprit in a road accident, in which a pedestrian was wounded. However in the police department he was charged with another violation, organizing an unsanctioned rally.

Meanwhile the strike of market vendors continues. According to the organizers of the protest, most of the markets in the country went on strike.