Cassation appeal on Ales Bialiatski's case to be considered on 24 January

The cassation appeal of Ales Bialiatski against the verdict of the Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk will be considered by the panel of judges of the Minsk City Court on 24 January. The hearings begin on 10 a.m.

Bear in mind that on 24 November Siarhei Bandarenka, Judge of the Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk, had sentenced Ales Bialiatski, vice-President of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, to 4.5 years in a high-security prison with confiscation of assents for alleged large-scale tax evasion. According to the ruling, Bialiatski must also pay 721 million rubles in material damages allegedly done to the state, and 36 million rubles of the court expenditures.