Andrei Klimau Denied Duty Attorney :: Charter'97 :: News

The oppositional leader Andrei Klimau who has been taken to the prosecutor’s office of Minsk, is denied a duty attorney. The human rights center “Viasna” has found out that after being presented a charge under Article 361 part 1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus he was taken to a remand prison in Valadarski Street in Minsk.

This article, which is by the way used in judicial practice of Belarus for the first time, is called “Appeal for actions aimed at infliction of harm to external security of Belarus, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and defensive ability”. According to information obtained by human rights activists, Andrei Klimau is charged with violation of part 3 of the article: “Public appeals to seize the state power, or forcible overthrow of the constitutional order of the Republic of Belarus, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and defensive ability; or dissemination of materials which contain such appeals with the help of mass media”.

Thus Andrei Klimau faces an imprisonment for a term from 2 to 5 years.