Pinsk BPF Chairman Jailed for 5 Days. New Arrests in Brest Region.

On 22 March Pinsk city court sentenced Alexander Ramanouski, chairman of Pinsk city Belarusian Popular Front, to 5 days of jail.

Brest lawyer Raman Kisliak attended the trial. He told RFE/RL: “The court listened to the witnesses – 2 police officers. They said Alexander used curse language. However, they failed t say what exactly he had been saying. Ramanovich was sentenced to 5 days in jail”.

Raman Kisliak also said that Nadzeya Andreikavets, reporter of the local newspaper Mistsovy Chas, was convoyed out of the court room. The policemen also took her camera away.

On March 22 the local KGB and police continued to follow opposition members in Brest region. In Pinsk the police detained BPF member Kanstantsin Chuvak. On Savetskaya Street in Brest the police detained Andrei Sharenda, activist of the For Freedom movement. In Baranavichy the police detained Viktar Karlinki. Pinsk resident Alexander Auseyenka managed to get away from the police. He is convinced, the police received lists of activists on the eve of the Freedom Day: “A police officer showed me the lists and read out a couple of names. They work according to the lists. They either force the people to give a written undertaking not to leave the place, or, if people refuse, they arrest them and put them to jails”.