Oppositionists released from ”captivity”

Aliaksandar Atroshchankau, Siargei Kaliakin and Anatol Liaabedzka were tried for ”minor hooliganism” Today in Vorsha.

All three were fined with 350 thousand rubles (10 basic amounts), Radio Svaboda reports.

In the beginning, the trial of the Vorsha district court presided by judge Natallia Baitsova was held behind the closed doors. Neither families of the detained oppositionists, nor human rights advocates were admitted to the court hall. At about 3 p.m. eight people were let in.

The judge denied the coordinator of the European Belarus his right for a lawyer.

We remind that Liabedzka, Kaliakin and Atroshchankau were taken off the train Minsk-Moscow in Vorsha at night from the 27 to 28 March. They planned to catch a plane from Moscow to Brussels. At first, customs officers said that the opposititonists were suspected of smuggling drugs; but as it later turned out they were accused of minor hooliganism on board the train. They were supposed to be tried the same day in the Vorsha district court, but the trials were postponed until the 29 March with no explanation. All this time Liabedzka, Kaliakin and Atroshchankau were kept in the temporary isolation jail in Vorsha.

It was reported earlier that the representatives of the Belarusian opposition were going to Brussels to participate in the presentation of the EU’s new program “European dialogue for modernization of Belarus” held today, as well as to meet with representatives of the European Commission. Moreover, Aliaksandar Atroshchankau was expected to give an interview to Russian News Service (Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei) in Moscow.