Pavel Sevyarinets: 28 May is to become my moment of truth :: Charter'97 :: News

Pavel Sevyarinets hopes that in the near future all the political prisoners are to be released in Belarus. He declared that at the press conference in Minsk at the BNF Party headquarters 23 May.

“My release produced an ambiguous impression. I very well understand that that was not a release ”for diligent behavior or law obedience”, he remarked. According to Sevyarinets his and politician Mikalai Statkevich’s release have been closely connected ” primarily with the threat of the European Union’s trade preferences annulment for Belarus”. “That phenomena is as shameful as human trafficking to the extent of the latter being treated by the official authorities. They speak of our girls’ trafficking to the West expressing their indignation but ignoring the fact of taking their own citizens as hostages for further exchanging and selling”, Sevyarinets declared.

He mentioned his being informed of the fact that release of other political prisoners was expected. “The release of all the political prisoners is possible. Termination of criminal cases against the youth activists charged of acting on behalf of the unregistered organization is possible. 28 May, the day of the beginning of the court hearing of their cases, is going to become the moment of truth for me”, P. Sevyarinets declared.

“If this trial is terminated and the judgment is not made that will mean that the regime is ready to make serious concessions. But unfortunately not to its people but to the means of pressure, which are available with the West”, P.Sevyarinets remarked.

It is to be mentioned that in May 2005 the central district court of Minsk condemned P. Sevyarinets of organization of mass actions on 18-19 October 2004 against official results of the parliamentary elections and referendum of 2004.The politician was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment but due to the amnesty his term in prison was decreased by one year. Since August 2005 P. Sevyarinets served his sentence working at the forestry farm in Malaye Sitna of the Polatsk district, Vitsebsk region.