Syarhei Kavalenka given three-year suspended sentence

The Vitsebsk oppositionist has been sentenced for hanging out a national white-red-white flag on the main Christmas tree in Vitsebsk.

Syarhei Kavalenka gets a three-year suspended sentence. He also has to pay 3.5mn-ruble of material compensation for the militiamen, the Kastrychnitski district court of Vitsebsk ruled out, Radio Svaboda reports.

The proceedings took three days. Syarhei Kavalenka made his final statement on May 14. He said he had carried out a political action, but hadn’t committed an act of hooliganism. The judge was interrupting the defendant stating his words didn’t have relation to the accusation.

On May 13, the second day of trial in the case of the Vitsebsk activist of the Conservative Christian Party BPF Syarhei Kavalenka, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence him to three years of restriction of liberty.

During the yesterday’s trial, Kavalenka demanded three times to challenge the prosecutor, three times – the full court, four times – judge Yauheny Burunau. As the activist thinks, the court is on the site of militiamen, lieutenant colonel Andrei Ivanou, junior sergeant Maksim Maksimau and senior sergeant Vasily Palitsika, who claim Kavalenka disobeyed to them and committed an act of hooliganism.

Kavalenka, 34, was detained near the main Christmas tree in Vitsebsk after a national white-red-white flag had appeared there on January 7, 2010. A criminal case was opened against the activist. He is charged with violation of two articles, part 1 of article 339 (intentional actions that rudely violate the public order, express an evident disregard for the society; the punishment is up to three years of restriction of liberty) and article 363 (disobedience to a militiaman or any other person guarding the public order; the punishment is up to 5 years of imprisonment).

The trial over Kavalenka was to start on April 20 in the Kastrychnitski district court of Vitsebsk, but was postponed until May 12 due to the judge’s family circumstances. It should be noticed that May 14 is the 15th anniversary of the referendum on changing the national symbols.