Minsk procuracy turns down Barys Bukhel's appeal

Mahiliou human rights defender Barys Bukhel appealed against the refusal of investigator Kasynkina to change the restraint to human rights defender Ales Bialiatski who is kept in custody on charges in  tax evasion on an especially large scale.

Predictably enough, the Minsk City Procuracy took the side of the investigation and stated that Kasynkina's refusal to change the restraint was “well-grounded and justified”.

Mr. Bukhel sees no reasons in appealing against the procuracy's ruling at higher instances, as Bialiatski's case has been passed to the court already. However, he points out that Ales Bialiatski could have left the country before the arrest as he knew about the criminal case. However, he didn't do it as he didn't feel guilty. “I think this is a solely political arrest”, commented Barys Bukhel.