Syarhei Skrabets Intends to Continue Hunger Strike :: Charter'97 :: News

Opposition activist, former deputy and leader of the group “Respublika” Syarhei Skrabets is on hunger strike for 33 days. The political prisoner protests against illegal arrest and groundless charges. According to the information received by the Chrater’97 press center, Syarhei Skrabets is not going to stop hunger strike. He told about it during the most recent meeting with his lawyer. As we have informed, on June 14 Brest prosecutor’s office refused to change the recruitment measure for him.

Opposition activist, who headed parliamentary group “Respublika”, Syarhei Skrabets, was detained on May 15, 2005. He was charged with violation of the two articles of the Criminal Code (Artile 13 Part 1 – preparation for a crime, and Article 431 Part 2 – giving bribe). S.Skrabets allegedly wanted to give a bribe of USD 30,000 to officials of the Prosecutors’ office.

It is not the first criminal action against the oppositionist.In April, 2003, first criminal proceedings were initiated against MP Skrabets. He was charged with helping defraud Belarusbank of more than $500,000 million in loans, while serving as director general of the BelBabayevsky Trading House, and creation of a criminal group. In October, 2004, he petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin to grant him political asylum, however his petition was refused.

The observers note that the criminal prosecution of Skrabets in politically motivated, as he is one of the active oppositionists. In summer 2004 he took part in the hunger strike of the “Respublika” deputies, who demanded democratization of the Electoral Code, and release of one of the Belarusian opposition leaders, Mikhail Marynich. In 2004 he was one of the organizers of the protest action timed to the end of the 10-year term of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.