Prosecutor Demands Three Years of Colony For Levaneuski and Vasilyeu :: Charter'97 :: News

The representative of the prosecution Eduard Panasiuk demanded a three-year term in colony for the chairman of the All-nation strike committee, member of the coordination committee of the European coalition “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski for defamation of honor and dignity of the president of Belarus. For the deputy chairman of the strike committee Alyaksandar Vasilyeu he demanded three years in colony for libel and for two years for organizing an unsanctioned meeting and demonstration in Hrodna on May 1. Because of absorption of less severe punishment by more severe, the prosecutor demands to sentence Vasilyeu to three years of colony.

The prosecutor’s accusatory pleading in the court, where hearing of arguments is taking place today, has shown that the main charge against Valery Levaneuski and Alyaksandar Vasilyeu is based on a phrase printed in the leaflet distributed before the meeting on May 1 in Hrodna: “Do you agree that Somebody would go to Austria for skiing spending your money?” The prosecution had decided that “Somebody” meant Alyaksandar Lukashenka.

The prosecutor told that the leaders of the strike committee Levaneuski and Vasilyeu were destabilizing social and political situation in Hrodna, that is why the businessmen’s case is extremely significant. The prosecutor believes that Levaneuski and Vasilyeu represent exceptional social danger, and because of that demanded to sentence them both to three years of colony.

At the moment Alyaksandar Birylau, the lawyer of the defendants, is making statement in pleading.
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