Viktar Ivashkievich Is Sentenced to Two Years of Personal Restraint

Today, on September 16 at Miensk Piershamaiski borough court judge Uladzimir Kobyshau pronounced the verdict on the criminal case against the editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper “Rabochy” – 2 years of personal restraint.

Viktar Ivashkievich was found guilty of an attempt to libel the President of Belarus (part 2 of Article No. 367 of the Criminal Code) and public insult to the President (part 2 of Article No. 368 of the Criminal Code.

After the end of the trial Viktar Ivashkievich held a press conference at the entrance of the court. He said that this was a pure politically-natured punishment and he would appeal against it to Miensk city court. At the trial the judge didn’t make use of the amnesty law, that’s why the court of the supreme instance may decrease the time of personal restraint by one year.

Information Department of PA HRC “Viasna”