Siarhei Kavalenka may face preventive surveillance

An appeal by a former political prisoner against a ruling of Vitebsk's Pershamaiski district court was dismissed.

Charter97.org has learnt it from Siarhei Kavalenka.

“Iryna Smaliakova, a judge of the Vitebsk regional court, upheld the decision of judge Valiantina Kismiaroshkina from the Pershamaiski district court. I have to pay a fine of 1 million for alleged disorderly conduct. I was invited to the corrections department of the Pershamaiski district on May 16 and given a warning for crossing the road without wearing a reflector,” the former political prisoner noted.

The activist thinks the Belarusian authorities try to make a hooligan of him to put him under preventive surveillance.

“A lawyer said I may be put under preventive surveillance after three offences. I think they will call me to the corrections department and issue a second warning after my appeal was dismissed in the regional court.  I am under police surveillance after the release from the penal colony. It doesn't restrict my freedom to movement and police supervisors don't visit me at home. Under the preventive surveillance, I will have to be at home from 22:00 till 6:00. I will not be able to go outside the town. After three violations of the regime I may be jailed,” the activist says.

The activist of the Conservative Christian Party BPF received a fine of 1 million rubles for disorderly conduct.

A former political prisoner was detained on the evening of March 25. He was accused of crossing the road outside a pedestrian crossing.

Siarhei Kavalenka was pardoned by the dictator in September 2012 and released from the Mahilou penal colony. He had been behind bars since December 2011. In February 2012, Kavalenka was sentenced to 25 months in a minimum security penal colony for hanging out a national white-red-white flag on the city's Christmas tree in Vitebsk two years ago.