Political prisoner Vasil Parfiankou appeals his sentence

The activist of the civil campaign "European Belarus" Vasil Parfiankou filed an appeal with the Minsk City Court. He head been sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment as a participant of the peaceful post-election protests in the center of Minsk on 19 December 2010. He was granted parole in August 2011. However, in January 2012 the police established a prophylactic supervision over Mr. Parfiankou, and later he was sentenced to 6 months of arrest for violating its regime.

Vasil Parfiankou pleads innocent and asks the court to abolish the sentence. He states that the real reason for his imprisonment is not a violation of the regime of preventive supervision, but his active civil position. "The authorities don't need people with an active civil position, which have experience of work with the population, especially on the eve of the elections to the Chamber of Representatives," says the activist.