English

Police drop criminal cases against two post-election protesters

The Minsk city police department has dropped the criminal cases that were opened against Aleh Korban and Ales Arastovich in connection with their participation in a post-election protest in Minsk in December 2010.

Mr. Korban, a campaign aide of former presidential candidate Yaraslaw Ramanchuk, was notified of the closure of his case by a letter that arrived on August 26, said the press office of the United Civic Party.

Mr. Arastovich, a campaign aide of former candidate Mikalay Statkevich, received a similar notification the previous day.

According to the Minsk city police department, it concluded that the actions of Messrs. Korban and Arastovich had constituted no criminal offense.

Criminal proceedings were instituted against the two men under the Criminal Code's Article 293, which penalizes the organization of "mass disorder."

Messrs. Korban and Arastovich were among the hundreds of people arrested during and after the December 19 post-election protest. Along with former presidential candidates and other prominent opposition figures, they were placed in the detention center of the KGB.

Mr. Korban was released from the KGB jail on his own recognizance on January 7 and Mr. Arastovich on February 15.

Earlier this week, Anatol Lyabedzka, chairman of the United Civic Party, and journalist Natallya Radzina were notified that the criminal proceedings against them had been terminated. // BelaPAN