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Belarusian Activist Jailed For 10 Days Upon Arrival From Ukraine


A former activist of the youth wing of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front party, Zmitser Paloyka, has been sentenced to 10 days in jail on unknown charges upon returning from neighboring Ukraine.

An duty officer at the detention center in the western city of Baranavichy, Dzmitry Dranchuk, told RFE/RL on December 15 that Paloyka had been detained on December 11 at the city railway station.

Dranchuk said that Paloyka had been sentenced to 10 days in jail but refused to give any other details.

A local human rights activist, Syarhey Housha, told RFE/RL that Paloyka's lawyer would visit his client on December 16.

Housha said Paloyka had given up political activity and had been studying abroad in recent years.

Housha said Paloyka mainly lived in Moscow but spent the last six months in Kyiv and had come to his native Baranavichy to sell his apartment before returning to Kyiv.

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