Cassation complaint on the ‘case of 14’ is to be considered on 22 July
The cassation complaint concerns 10 of the 13 tried activists and will be considered by Minsk cit court on 22 July.
On 22 April Tsentralny district court of Minsk pronounced verdict to 10 youth activists who were accused under part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code, ‘organization or active participation in the actions which grossly violate public order’. Anton Koipish and Uladzimir Siarheyeu were fined 3.5 million rubles (about $1650). Aliakesi Bondar, Ales Charnyshou, Artsiom Dubski, Mikhail Kryvau, Mikhail Pashkevich, Ales Straltsou and Tatsiana Tsishkevich were sentenced to two years of personal restraint without direction to open penitentiary institutions.
The youth activist Andrei Kim was also accused under Article 364, violence or threat of violence towards policeman’. The judge Alena Iliina sentenced him to 1.5 years of imprisonment.
Bear in mind that on 10 January 2008 several thousand people took part in a peaceful protest action of entrepreneurs against president’s decree #760. Several dozens of people were detained that day and many of them were severely beaten.
A criminal case was brought against 14 youth activists. They were accused of active participation in a mass riot. 13 of them have been tried so far. The 14th accused continues studying in Poland.
