Political Prisoner Alyaksandr Zdzvizhkou Released (Photo)
23
14:21, — Politics
Today Alyaksandr Zdzvizhkou, a political prisoner, has been released under the Supreme Court decision.
Today a consideration of case upon cassational appeal of the former deputy editor-in-chief of Zhoda newspaper Alyaksandr Zdzvizhkou has taken place in the Supreme Court of Belarus. Dzvizhkou had been sentenced to three years of imprisonment for publishing the Prophet Mohammed cartoons.
Considering the exceptional circumstances (the journalist has an elderly mother), the Supreme Court altered the decision of Minsk city court, and commuted the sentence from three years to three months of imprisonment. As said by lawyer Maya Alyaksandrava, today Zdzvizhkou is to be released.
Zdzvizhkou himself was not present in the court which was held behind the closed doors.
On January 18, 2008 Minsk city court sentenced the former editor-in-chief of the Zhoda newspaper, Alyaksandr Zdzvizhkou, to 3 years of imprisonment in a colony with a reinforced regime. Zdzvizhkou was found guilty of inciting religious enmity. The trial was held behind the closed doors, and only the final part of the verdict was read out for the press.
In the newspaper edition of February 18-26, 2006 an article “Political Creative Idea” was published in the Zhoda. It included reprinted Mohammed cartoons. In February 2006 the State Security Committee (KGB) opened a case for publication of cartoons on Muhammad after an enquiry was made by the prosecutor’s office of the country and the KGB.
The enquiry has been made basing on an address of Muslim communities of Belarus and of the Committee on Religious and Ethnic Affairs.
In the middle of March, 2006 Zhoda newspaper was liquidated by a decision of the Supreme Court of Belarus.
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