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Man in Hrodna fined for online message linked to protest against new tax

A man in Hrodna was sentenced on Monday to a fine of 2,860,000 rubels ($300) for posting a message on an Internet forum announcing the time and venue of a street protest against a controversial new tax.

Judge Zinaida Bartsevich of the Kastrychnitski District Court in the city in western Belarus found Alyaksandr Ivanow guilty of making public calls for participation in an unsanctioned mass event, according to human rights defenders.

Mr. Ivanow posted the message on December 27. A police officer phoned the man shortly afterward to tell him that he had been charged with a civil offense.

Mr. Ivanow described the court ruling as a violation of his constitutional rights to the free expression of opinions and convictions and information distribution.

Hundreds of motorists brought traffic to a near halt at some sections of Independence Avenue in Minsk on December 20, driving at low speeds and honking their horns for about an hour to protest the imposition of a tax on motor vehicle owners on January 1. Several people were jailed or fined after the protest.

A second protest, scheduled for December 27, did not take place as law enforcement agencies made every effort to prevent motorists from taking part.

No such protests took place outside Minsk. //BelaPAN