Siarhei Sparysh is new political prisoner

The human rights community of Belarus has called Siarhei Sparysh, an activist of the Narodnaya Hramada party facing charges under part 1 of Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organization or active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order), a political prisoner.

In making this decision, the human rights activists were guided by their earlier statements of June 1, 9 and 11 which considered all persons involved in the “Siarhei Tsikhanouski case” as political prisoners.

Accordingly, Belarusian human rights activists demand that the Belarusian authorities release Siarhei Sparysh immediately and stop the criminal prosecution against him.

Siarhei Sparysh was arrested on June 25 by plainclothes police officers who used physical force to pull him out of his apartment. The reason for the arrest was a 15-day term of administrative detention earlier imposed on the activist for laying flowers at the Military Cemetery in Minsk on May 8 this year. On July 9, it became known that a criminal case had been instituted against him under Part 1 of Art. 342 of the Criminal Code. The charge was said to be linked to the events of May 29 in Hrodna.

Siarhei Sparysh is currently a suspect in the case and is being held in a detention center in Minsk.