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Young opposition activist Zmitser Fedaruk undergoing medical examination to determine whether he should be discharged from army prematurely

Prominent young opposition activist Zmitser Fedaruk is undergoing a medical examination to determine whether he should be discharged from military service prematurely.

"Although Fedaruk feels alright on the whole, he suffers from a constant headache," his associate Mikalay Dzemidzenka told BelaPAN.

Mr. Fedaruk, an activist of an opposition youth group called Malady Front, was forcibly recruited into the army in late January.

On February 24, he underwent surgery for varicose veins, a condition that makes a person ineligible for military service. He has recently been brought to a military hospital in Barysaw and then sent to Minsk for an additional checkup.

On January 28, Mr. Fedaruk was apprehended by police in Minsk and taken to a district recruitment office, where he was told to come back the following day.

The young man explained that he was a full-time student at a theological school and was therefore eligible for deferment from military service.

Later that day, Mr. Fedaruk was taken to the Pershamayski district police department in Minsk, where his name was checked against a police database. Police found out that he had not served a 10-day jail sentence imposed on him over an unauthorized demonstration in May 2008.

Mr. Fedaruk was taken to a detention center to serve the sentence, but the following day he was driven to Minsk's Outpatient Clinic No. 14 where he was given a health examination and pronounced fit for military service. He was brought to a Transport Troops unit in Zhodzina, Minsk region, on the same day to do 18-month compulsory service.