Activist convicted in Process of Fourteen taken to army hurriedly

A democratic activist Uladzimir Syarheeu, one of the participants of the Process of Fourteen, is hurriedly drafted to the army.

As informed by the human rights centre Viasna, at the moment he is kept in the military enlistment office of Partyzanski district of Minsk.

Syarheeu told on the phone that the military enlistment office refers to some special order, under which he is to go to the army despite of his criminal record.

Human rights activists note that in line with the law on military service in Belarus, persons with criminal record cannot be drafted into the army.

However the verdict to Syarheeu hasn’t come into force yet, as Minsk city court hasn’t considered his cassation appeal yet. Syarheeu was sentenced to a fine of 100 basic units. Thus, if his appeal would be dismissed, and the verdict would come into force, he does not understand how he would pay a fine of Br 3.5 mln.

In the end of May the court of Tsentralny district of Minsk tried participants of the protest rally of entrepreneurs. Mikhas Subach and Paval Vinahradau have been sentenced to two years of restraint of liberty without sending them to penitentiary institutions. Minor Maksim Dashuk got 1 ½ years of restraint of liberty. Youth activist Andrei Kim is sentenced to one and a half year in penal colony by the Central district court of Minsk. Other participants of the trial of 14 – Alyaksei Bondar, Artsyom Dubski, Mikhal Kryvau, Mikhal Pashkevich, Ales Straltsou, Ales Charnyshou, Tatsyana Tishkevich, were sentenced to correctional labour without sending them to penitentiary institutions. They must charge the state 20 per cent of their wages. Anton Koipish and Uladzimir Syarheeu were fined of 100 basic units. The judgement was given by Valery Yesman and Alena Illyina.

Thousands of businessmen took part in the protest rally on January 10 and blocked Independence Avenue. They protested against discriminatory decrees of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.