Prosecutor Demand to Sentence Opposition Leaders to Three Years of Restraint of Liberty :: Charter'97 :: News

At the today’s trial over opposition leaders, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada), coordinator of the European Coalition Mikola Statkevich and one of the leaders of the “Young Front” Paval Sevyarynets, Prosecutor Vadzim Paznyak (Vadim Pozniak) demanded to sentence them to three years of restraint of liberty. The politicians are charged with organizing mass protest actions against rigged results of parliamentary elections and referendum -- Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organizing of group actions, violating public order, or participation in them). The main complaint against Statkevich and Sevyarynets is blocking of traffic for a short time during the protest rally.

The prosecutor stressed that Mikola Statkevich and Paval Sevyarynets are subject to amnesty announced on the 60th anniversary of victory in Great patriotic War, and the term of restraint could be cut down for one year.

Mikola Statkevich, the BSDP leader, at the moment is serving a 10-day arrest for contempt to court, as he refused to stand up during the trial. As said by Statkevich, the court is dependent and cannot pass a just verdict in his case.

It is not the first criminal case for Mikola Statkevich and Paval Sevyarynets. In 1998 Paval Sevyarynets was accused of hooliganism for interrupting a concert on April 2, dedicated to the day of Belarus and Russia’s unification. The action was terminated in 1999 with the wording “because of the change of political situation”. In 2000 Mikola Statkevich was punished by two years of imprisonment with respite of punishment for an active participation in the first “Freedom March”. After reconsideration of the case he was sentenced to a fine. Having a criminal record, the leader of Social Democrats has lost possibility to take part in the election campaign as candidate.