Political prisoner Pilip Shaurou released pending trial set for May 18

Pilip Shaurou, activist of the Young Front opposition group facing criminal vandalism charges, has been released from pre-trial detention to await trial. The hearing is scheduled for May 18.

Shaurou is accused of three counts of vandalism, including painting red the hands of the Pushkin monument in Minsk. He has spent three months in custody.

On March 18, he faced final charges under Parts 1 and 2 of Art. 339 of the Criminal Code. If found guilty he may be imprisoned for up to six years.

The country’s leading human rights groups disagreed with the charges and called the activist a political prisoner. They also stressed that pre-trial detention was selected primarily in order to put pressure on the opposition member and his organization.