Syarhei Kavalenka, who hung out a flag on Christmas tree, to stand trial April 20

Syarhei Kavalenka, an activist of the Conservative Christian Party BPF, is to stand trial on April 20 April for hanging out a national white-red-white flag on a Christmas tree in Vitsebsk, addressed the witnesses of January 7 events.

Kavalenka called on the people living in the block of flats on the address 8 Maskouski Avenue in Vitsebsk, in front of which the Christmas tree was set up, to come to the Kastrychnitski district court at 10:30 a.m. to a trial, the newspaper “Nasha Niva” reports.

Syarhei Kavalenka is going to use the help of Vitsebsk dwellers to deny accusations of hooliganism and disobedience to militia.

The oppositionist insists that he hadn’t an aim to commit an act of hooliganism when hanging out a white-red-white flag, he wasn’t going to damage tree decorations, or to disturb the people who came to a concert on the square. So, his act cannot be regarded as hooliganism.

Kavalenka is also going to appeal against evidence of militia officers, lieutenant colonel Andrei Ivanou and junior sergeant Maksim Maksimau and senior sergeant Vasily Palitiko, who claimed he had demonstrated disobedience to them during the detention. Syarhei Kavalenka hopes he will find the people who can give evidence he didn’t insult the militiamen, but they were dragging him into the car beating.

We remind that Syarhei Kavalenka applied to the Kastrychnitski district court two times for initiating a case against the militiamen, who had inflicted bodily harm on him. The court dismissed the claims.

The claim of the militia officers, who demand that the oppositionist should pay 10 million rubles each as moral compensation, will also be considered on April 20.

Syarhei Kavalenka faces up 20 to 6 years in prison for hanging out a national flag in Vitsebsk on January 7.