Homel activist may face prison term for solidarity with Ukraine

The police threaten a Young Front activist with a criminal case for an action of solidarity with Ukrainian pro-EU protesters.

Homel's Tsentralny district police department accuses Young Front activists Andrei Tsianiuta, Natallia Kryvashei and Stanislau Bula, who were detained lately, of violating the rules of holding mass events (article 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Offences).

Kanstantsin Zhukouski, the fourth detained activist who took photos of the picket, received a warning from officer of the Tsentralny district police department A. Belski about opening a criminal case over article 364 for threats to use violence against a police officer, Radio Svaboda reports.

“What they interpret as a 'threat' was my words to the policemen, who were detaining and charging us, that we should warn Ukrainian society that Ukrainian relative bodies should ban entry to the country for the Homel police officers, who hindered us to pay tribute to victims of the pro-EU protests. It made the policemen nervous. That's why I received this warning,” he said.

We remind that the Young Front activists were detained in Homel yesterday during a picket of solidarity with Ukraine.