Entry to EU Banned For Belarusian Judges and Prosecutors :: Charter'97 :: News

The Council of EU countries has extended a list of unwelcome officials for whom the entry to the territory of the EU is banned, Radio Svaboda informs. They are a judge of the court of Maskouski district of Minsk Alyaksei Rybakou, who had passed a verdict to the former candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin, 5.5 years of imprisonment; and a worker of the prosecutor’s office of Maskouski district Syarhei Bortnik, who was a state accuser in the process of Kazulin.

A judge of the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk Leanid Yasenovich, who passed verdicts in the case of “Partnerstva”, and a representative of the prosecutor’s office of Tsentralny district Andrei Mihun, who was a state accuser in this closed process, are blacklisted as well. As we have informed, Leanid Yasenovich had sentenced Enira Branitskaya and Alyaksandr Shalajka to 6 months of arrest, Tsimafei Dranchuk to a year of imprisonment, and Mikalay Astrejka to 2 years of imprisonment.

Earlier the visa ban list included 37 Belarusian officials, including ASlyaksandr Lukashenka. The main reasons for the ban to enter the EU countries are implication in abductions and assassinations of opposition leaders, crack down on peaceful rallies, rigging elections results and passing of politically motivated sentences.