Krishna Devotees Sentenced to 10-Day Arrests :: Charter'97 :: News

On September 3 the judge of the Minsk Central court Tatiana Pavluchuk sentenced to ten-day arrests three members of the Hindu group “Light of Kailasa”. Pavluchuk found the head of the group Tatiana Akadanova, her husband Sergei Akadanov and the member of their group Sergei Olisevich guilty of unsanctioned picketing at the Oktyabsrskaya square of Minsk on August 17, 2002. The convicted people protested against violation of their religious rights. All three went on a hunger-strike, reports BelaPAN.

Consideration of cases of other Hindu members Sergei Romanchik and Tatiana Zhilevich was put off to September 6 due to the absence of witnesses – law-enforcers. On the same day they will examine the cases of Sergei and Irina Silybins, while on September 4 – cases of Igor Yusupov and Irina Golovina. The court sessions were attended by representatives of human rights organizations and OSCE AMG. Apart from the judicial persecution, five other Krishna followers have been recently beaten up by the unknown, whereas their apartment, where they carry out religious practices, has been crashed by hooligans.