Political Prisoner Alyaksandr Vasilyeu Placed to Minsk Colony :: Charter'97 :: News

On June 20 Belarusian political prisoner, one of the leaders of the All-National Strike Committee of Vendors, member of the “Free Belarus” Alyaksandr Vasilyeu was transferred from republican hospital for prisoners to colony number 1 of Minsk. Now the political prisoner has isolation period, and in a week he is to join other prisoners, press service of the strike committee of vendors informs.

On September 7, 2004 court of the Lenin district of Hrodna found Valery Levaneuski, the chairman of the All-National Strike Committee of Vendors, member of the Council of Civil Initiatives “Free Belarus”, and Alyaksandr Vasilyeu, deputy chairman of the All-National Strike Committee of Vendors, guilty of public slander of Belarusian President connected with a grave crime (Article 368 Part 2 of the Criminal Code), and sentenced them to two years of imprisonment of the minimum-security colony. It was written in the verdict that the sentence “Come and say that you are against somebody’s skiing in Austria at your expense”, printed in leaflets, contains insult of honour and dignity of the president of the Republic of Belarus. Besides, Alyaksandr Vasilyeu has been convicted for organizing a mass protest action in Hrodna on May 1, 2004.
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