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Pardoned post-election protester Alyaksandr Malchanaw arrested for allegedly stealing metal scrap

Opposition activist Alyaksandr Malchanaw has been in police detention since January 20 on suspicion of stealing 450,000 rubels ($54) worth of metal scrap from a dump.

In March 2011, the young man, a resident of Barysaw, Minsk region, was sentenced to three years in prison over his role in a post-election protest staged in the Belarusian capital city on December 19, 2010. In September, he was freed under Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s pardon.

After his release, Alyaksandr vainly tried to find a job and began collecting metal scrap together with his friend, his mother told the private weekly Nasha Niva.

The 24-year-old Malchanaw was arrested in the area of a plant in Zhodzina on January 20 and placed in a detention center. Owing to his conviction, he is expected to stay there until the completion of the preliminary investigation.

In late October 2011, Mr. Malchanaw was arrested on suspicion of spraying paint on several red-green flags in Barysaw and could have been charged with dishonoring the state flag. He was held in jail for several days and eventually released without a charge. //BelaPAN