Property of Syarhei Skrabets’ parents confiscated

On July 21 Minsk city court issued a ruling to confiscate property belonging to the parents of the oppositional politician, the deputy chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) Syarhei Skrabets.

Right after the arrest of Syarhei Skrabets law-enforcing agencies distrained his property and property of his brother Alyaksandr and his parents. Parents of the former deputy of the “chamber of representatives” challenged the ruling on confiscation of their property twice. And two times the court of Pershamajski district of Minsk found their position valid.

And now the city court ruled to confiscate the property.

Syarhei Skrabets was a deputy of the “chamber of representatives” of the 2nd calling (2000-2004). For some time he headed an informal deputy group “Respublika”. In summer 2004 together with deputies of this group Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Valer Fralou he was on hunger strike protesting against the third term of Alyaksandr Lukashenka and against amendments to the electoral code. The deputies also demanded to release the political prisoner Mikhail Marynich. Skrabets was one of the organizers of a protest rally dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Lukashenka’s presidency. After being detained in May 2005, he was charged with a credits fraud and in February 2006 was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment. Together with Alyaksandr Kazulin he was on hunger strike in the colony “Vitsba-3”. By the decision of the prosecutor’s office Syarhei Skrabets was amnestied and released a year earlier, on November 15, 2006.