10 days for leaflets dedicated to market vendors’ protest rally

A public activist Mikola Serhienka has been arrested for 10 days. The verdict was passed by Judge Yuliya Shumskaya (Leninski district of Minsk). In the court policemen alleged that on December 6 the activist was swearing at policemen in the office of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions on December 6.

As informed by Radio Svaboda, Mikola Serhienka hadn’t pleaded guilty. On December 6 he was in the office of the Democratic Congress of Trade Unions. Previously leaflets with the appeal to entrepreneurs to take part in the meeting on October Square were brought there. Suddenly policemen stormed into the office: they confiscated the leaflets, took those present to the police department of Leninski district allegedly for identification.

As told by Mikita Serhienka, reports were drawn up against him and the leader of the trade union of entrepreneurs Alyaksandr Makaeu. They were charged with swearing at policemen. “But it is an obvious lie,” Mikola Serhienka said.

The trial over Alyaksandr Makaeu didn’t take place because the entrepreneur is serving the sentence of 7 days for a standard charge of “using foul language”. He was detained on December 10 in the morning before the meeting of market vendors started. He was one of the applicants for holding the meeting.

Today Alyaksandr Makaeu is to be released.