Russian Activists Try to Direct Lavrov’s Attention to Situation in Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

A Russian youth public association Oborona continues collection of signatures under an address to the Foreign Ministry of Russia in relation to the illegal arrest of two Russian citizens, Ekaterina Vinokurova and Nikolay Zboroshenko in Minsk. Today the Russian Youth Human Rights movement Groza has joined the protest. As we have informed, Niklay Zboroshenko has announced a hunger strike of protest in the Belarusian prison.

In the statement addressed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, it is noted in particular that on July 22 Russian citizens Ekaterina Vinokurova and Nikolay Zboroshenko were detained for suspected participation in an unsanctioned picket. They tried to get in touch with the Russian consulate, but its workers couldn’t or were not willing to help them. After detention they were released and asked to come to the court on July 26. They returned to Moscow and had all possibilities to escape the trial, but they voluntarily went to Minsk and attended the trial.

It is known that the court denied granting a lawyer to Nikolay Zboroshenko. Journalists and representatives of the civil society have not been allowed to attend the trial. The Russian consul and vice consul were absent, though they had been asked about that several times. As a result of the hearings held with all possible irregularities in judicial proceedings, Nikolay Zboroshenko was sentenced to 15 days of arrest, and Ekaterina Vinokurova to 10 days of arrest.

In the remand prison in Akrestsin Street the Russian citizens have spent two days without warm clothes, hygienic items and other necessary things. Neither relatives nor friends of the arrested know about the Russian’s consul’s visiting the arrested. He refuses to inform them about that. Only two days after the trail the Russian citizens received a parcel, but it was brought by Belarusian human rights activists.

Russian Foreign Minister’s attention is drawn to the fact that “human rights violations in Belarus, including violations of the Russian citizens’ rights, have acquired a large-scale character, and have been assessed by many European countries respectively”.

“For instance, 30 high-ranking Belarusian officials have been banned from entering the EU countries. Diplomatic missions of the European countries defend each of their citizens who get in trouble in Belarus. Only the Russian authorities continue to turn away from facts taking place in a union state,” the address reads.

You can sign the address here.