English

Two opposition activists sentenced to 10-day jail terms over sign saying “For a Independent Belarus!”

 

Aleh Korban, chairman of an opposition youth group called Alternatyva (Alternative), and Alternatyva member Uladzimir Syarheyew have been sentenced to 10-day jail terms for allegedly putting up a sign in a Minsk subway station, which said in Belarusian, “For an Independent Belarus!”

“We do not know exactly when the trial was held, today on July 3,” Ilya Dabratvor, one of the leaders of Altetrnatyva, told the Belarusian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Friday. “In any case, this is a violation of regulations because the trial should have been open to the public. If this happened on July 3 or 4, this is an especially gross violation because courts were supposedly closed on those dates. This looks like extrajudicial punishment of our activists.”

Messrs. Korban and Syarheyew were arrested by police at Mr. Korban’s home on July 2. Mr. Korban had to let the police officers in as they started to break the entrance door.

The sign was attached to a wall at the Kamennaya Horka subway station on June 30 and hung there for about half an hour before being removed by police officers.