Volunteer Fighter Of Ukraine’s Right Sector Avatarau Sentenced To 5 Years Of Imprisonment

Frunzenski district court of Minsk found him guilty of illegal actions with weapons and trafficking of an explosive device.

The day before, during the court disputes, the prosecutor Aliaksandr Mironchyk asked the court to sentence Taras Avatarau to 5 years in medium-security prison without property confiscation. The lawyer Krystsina Marchuk asked the court to justify Avatarau, because she considers that his guilt hasn’t been proved in court.

After the sentence announcement, Avatarau tried to make a statement. He managed to say that the employees of the Investigative Committee violated his rights, but did not finish the sentence because the police officers demanded a "leave the courtroom". When asked by Radio Svaboda whether he was going to appeal the verdict, Taras Avatarau shouted: "Of course."

Taras Avatarau, a resident of the Belarusian town of Navapolatsk, was detained at the Minsk railway station on November 26. According to the police officers, Avatarau had a Makarov flare gun, an armored vest, explosives and an identity document of a volunteer fighter of Ukraine’s Right Sector.

Avatarau told in the court that he voluntary handed the explosive device to the police officers and that he found it lying on his belongings in the car by which he had arrived to Hrodna from Ukraine.

During the trial, Taras Avatau repeatedly referred to himself as a prisoner of war, and admitted guilt only in the part concerning the illegal actions with an explosive device.