English

Two journalists sentenced to 10- and 12-day jail terms for alleged disobedience to police

Alyaksandr Yarashevich, a reporter for Polish-based Radio Racyja, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 days in jail, while another journalist, Dzmitry Halko, was given a 10-day jail sentence.

Judges of the Maskowski District Court in Minsk, Tatsyana Matyl and Yawhen Khatkevich found the two journalists guilty of disorderly conduct and failure to comply with "lawful orders of authority figures."
Messrs. Yarashevich and Halko were arrested the previous evening when they were walking from the detention center on Akrestsina Street, where they had met opposition activists released from the jail. A police minibus pulled over nearby and they were bundled into the vehicle without explanation.

That was the second arrest of Mr. Yarashevich in 10 days. He was apprehended by police in Minsk on the night of April 26 following the “Charnobylski Shlyakh” (Path of Chernobyl) demonstration, an annual event staged by opposition and environmental groups to mark the anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. He was charged with disobedience to police and sentenced to three days in jail. // BelaPAN