Human rights activist charged under two articles of Criminal Code

Human rights activist from Vitsebsk Leanid Svetsik was charged under two articles of the Criminal Code on March 31.

He is suspected of stirring up race and national hatred (article 130 of the Criminal Code), for the fact Svetsik allegedly wrote letters with threats on behalf of the Russian National Unity (RNU), and of libel against the president under part 2 of article 367 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. A preliminary investigation was carried out by a KGB investigator for the Vitsebsk region.

It should be reminded that in 2006–2007 Leanid Svetsik was providing legal advice to Vitsebsk activists, who were receiving letters with threats from the “Vitsebsk branch of the Russian National Unity”. The activists demanded that the KGB should find the people threatening them with punishment for their political views and expressing of the Belarusian national consciousness. But militia and the secret services refused to open criminal cases, they explained this decision with the fact that the RNU was an unregistered organization.

A criminal case over fact of threats from RNU was instigated only on May 20 last year. On May 23, the Vitsebsk human rights activist had a 9-hour search, during which KGB officers seized a computer and other office equipment, printed materials on human rights issues, and blank sheets of paper from Leanid Svetsik. The search was conducted according to a regulation, where Leanid Svetsik was mentioned as a witness in the case of letters from the RNU, but at the questioning in the KGB he was said he was a suspect person under article 130.1.

The criminal case against him was suspended in September. KGB investigators questioned the human rights and recipients of letters with threats. Among them were editor of bulletin “Kuryer iz Vitsebska” Uladzimir Bazan, former head of the regional organization of the United Civil Party Alena Zalesskaya, famous oppositionist Barys Khamaida, who received two letters with threats, and other local activists and Vitsebsk journalists, covering these events.

The human rights activist claims he hasn’t and never had any relation to writing and spreading these letters with threats on behalf of the RNU.