Human rights defenders demand to stop illegal arrests of activists

Human Rights Center "Viasna" made a statement, where it condemns the illegal administrative detention of youth activists.

Human rights defenders made a statement, where it condemns the illegal administrative detention of youth activists Michael Musski, Dmitry Kremenetskiy, Roman Vasilyev, Nikolai Demidenko, Pavel Vinogradov, and human rights defender Oleg Volchek.

According to human rights defenders, the malpractice of sentencing activists to the administrative arrests rooted in Belarus.

"It's a shame, this illegal harassment involves not only the bodies of internal affairs, but also the courts which make verdicts on the basis of false materials", the statement of "Viasna" Human Rights Center says.

Thus, Musski, Kremenetskiy and Demidenko just for spring 2012 were illegally sentenced to 37 days of administrative arrest in total, and Vinogradov and Volchek were condemned on the basis of falsified police material twice.

"Viasna" believes, because of all the periods of their detentions, they are political prisoners. Prosecution of these activists is purely political in nature and linked to their social activities, human rights activists say.

Human Rights Center "Viasna" demands to immediately stop the practice of administrative harassment and unlawful conviction of social activists on false charges, to bring to justice those responsible for unlawful convictions, and to compensate to the convicts the loss of health and mental sufferings.