Human rights watchdog Paval Lyavinau protests against illegal arrest. Second week of hunger strike

A human rights watchdog Paval Lyavinau is not going to stop the hunger strike he started a week ago.

As informed by the press-service of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the human rights activist told about that after his conversation with the acting prosecutor of Vitsebsk region Anatol Leskavets.

The human rights activist asked to postpone today’s trial, where he is to be tried on charges of “using foul speech and disobedience to law-enforcing agencies”. At the moment the prosecutor’s office of Pershamajski district of Vitsebsk studies the statement of Lyavinau that documents on basis of which the charges are filed against him, had been falsified. However the request of the human rights activist was refused.

As we have informed, a representative of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Paval Lyavinau was detained on March 27 when he was rendering legal assistance to journalist Vadzim Barscheuski, whose apartment was searched by KGB officers in connection with the case of “cartoons club”.

The human rights activist was charged with using foul language and insubordination to police. According to the formal charge, during the arrest Lyavinau was using foul language when talking to police major Ihar Skarynovich. On Skarynovich’s request a videotaping of the incident was made by law-enforcers.

As said by the human rights activist, he told only one thing when he was recorded: “Let them film, I haven’t done anything like that”. The recording was not included in the files of the case. As it has turned out, the camera is a personal property of one of the officers, and he can use the recording as he wants.

Protesting against documents falsifying and violation of his rights, Paval Lyavinau announced a hunger strike.