Organizer of «Narodny Skhod» rally in Homyel sentenced to five days in jail

A district judge in Homyel on Wednesday imposed a five-day jail sentence on Vasil Palyakow, an organizer of a "Narodny Skhod" (People's Assembly) rally scheduled to take place in the city on Saturday.

Judge Viktar Kupratsevich of the Savetski District Court found the chairman of the United Civic Party’s Homyel regional organization guilty of acting in violation of regulations governing "mass events."

Mr. Palyakow was arrested by police on Tuesday afternoon as soon as he left home.

According to the charge sheet, the police were called by Lyudmila Myashkova, secretary of the "administrative commission" of the Chyhunachny district administration, and Alyaksandr Melezh, a student of Homyel State University, who found notices of the Narodny Skhod rally in their mailboxes, which contained Mr. Palyakow's mobile phone number.

Ms. Myashkova and Mr. Melezh phoned Mr. Palyakow, who invited them to attend the rally, and then phoned the Homyel City Executive Committee, where they were told that the event had not been permitted and therefore would be illegal.

Mr. Palyakow asked for those two persons to be questioned as witnesses, but Judge Kupratsevich rejected the request. The judge also refused to admit a transcript of the alleged telephone conversations.

When asked by the judge who would participate in the so-called Narodny Skhod rally, Mr. Palyakow said that everyone, including the leadership of the regional and city governments, would be welcome.

Mr. Palyakow denied any wrongdoing, explaining that the Mass Events Law does not apply to national and local assemblies, and that no official permission for holding them is therefore required.

One more organizer of the forthcoming rally, Uladzimir Katsora, was formally warned last week that the event would be illegal.

Participants at the rally are expected to discuss authorities’ replies to the resolution adopted at the first Narodny Skhod rally, held in Homyel on October 8 with up to 400 people in attendance. Messrs. Palyakow and Katsora and several other local opposition activists were arrested by police shortly before the event. Mr. Katsora was subsequently sentenced to a fine.