Artur Finkevich: «People must know the truth»

“I don’t believe the authorities have settled on liberalisation by release of political prisoners,” Artur Finkevich, leader of the Young Front and former political prisoner, said. He was released on 5 February after the cassational appeal had been heard in the Mahilou city court.

“Yes, the authorities have released me, but they are using repressions against other oppositional activists. So the concessions the authorities have made, are a result of pressure by the society and foreign diplomats. But it is just small concessions, not a course of liberalisation of the regime,” he said on the press conference on Minsk on 6 February.

The democratic activist noted he didn’t regret his political activity. “I think, I will have a stronger desire to engage in public activity. It’s necessary to inform people about real events in the country,” he noted.

Moreover, Artur is going to support activists of the unregistered youth association the Young Front, against whom the authorities are using measures of criminal and administrative persecution.

Artur Finkevich was detained in Minsk at night 30 January 2006 for drawing graffiti “We want a new one!” The court of the Pershamaiski district of Minsk found him guilty of the violation of the article 339.2 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism) and sentenced him to 2 years of restraint of liberty on 10 May, 2006, BelaPAN reports.

30 October, 2007 it became known that Artur was exhibited a new charge on the article 415 of the Criminal Code (evasion of serving term of punishment). 20 December 2007 he was sentenced to 1.5 year in minimum secure colony.

5 February A. Finkevich was released in the court room in Mahilou, where his cassational appeal was considered. A prosecutor demanded 6 months of imprisonment for Finkevich. But the court considered he deserved punishment of 6 months of the so called khimiya (correctional labour). Taking into account A. Finkevich was in the pre-trial detention center in Mahilou since 26 October (one day in a detention center is worthy of two days of khimiya), he was released as he had endured his punishment.