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Leader of Union of Poles, elderly woman sentenced to fines for putting up cross in commemoration of Armia Krajowa member

 

The Shchuchyn District Court in the Hrodna region on June 19 sentenced Meczyslaw Jaskiewicz, chairperson of the so-called unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus, and an elderly woman to fines for putting up a memorial cross.

Mr. Jaskiewicz and Weronika Sebastianowicz, an 82-year-old resident of Skidal, were found guilty of staging an unsanctioned demonstration and fined 4 million ($460) and 2.5 million rubels, respectively.

The two were charged over a rally held in the village of Rachkawshchyna near Shchuchyn, during which a memorial cross was put up in commemoration of Anatol Radziwonik, the last commander of the Armia Krajowa who died there in 1949.

Last week the Polish foreign ministry issued a statement in connection with the incident, in which it called on the Belarusian authorities to respect the rights of ethnic minorities.

In its statement, the ministry pointed out that the persecution of Polish activists in Belarus resembled repressive measures used in the dark times about which Europe should know only from history lessons. Ethnic minorities in entire Europe, including in Poland, have the right to preserve their identity and history, the ministry said. // BelaPAN