Political prisoner Viachaslau Kasinerau freed before trial
Viachaslau Kasinerau. Photo: Yulia Darashkevich
Political prisoner Viachaslau Kasinerau has been released today, after the Maskoŭski District Court of Minsk ordered to replace his pre-trial detention by a release on own recognizance.
Kasinerau was held in jail No. 1 Minsk since April 6, after he faced criminal charges of hooligansim for throwing a noose around the neck of a recently erected monument to a policeman near the Interior Ministry's headquarters in central Minsk.
The charges will be heard by the Maskoŭski District Court on April 27. If found guilty, the activist may face imprisonment for up to three years, or arrest for up to six months.
On April 5, the country's leading human rights organizations issued a statement to declare Viachaslau Kasinerau a political prisoner and to urge the authorities to drop the charges and to release him.
