Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Belarus

Belarus Jails Two Opposition Leaders

Youth Front activists demanding the release of detained group members in May (Bymedia.net)

July 24, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A Belarusian court today sentenced two opposition leaders to 15 days in jail, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported.

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July 24, 2007

Pavel Sevyarynets of the Youth Front (Malady Front) movement, and Aleksey Shein, co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, were found guilty of distributing illegal literature.

The two were detained on July 23 after police found them in possession of leaflets containing information about a future opposition meeting.

Sevyarynets was freed from an earlier prison term in May after being convicted for organizing an unsanctioned rally.

Several other members of the Youth Front have been fined or sentenced to prison in recent months for participating in an unauthorized organization. The group has made several attempts to gain legal authorization.

(with material from agency reports)

Politics In Belarus

Demonstrators in Minsk on March 25 (RFE/RL)

WHAT HAPPENED? Belarus scholar Vitali Silitski and RFE/RL Belarus analyst Jan Maksymiuk took a look a how Belarus has changed since mass demonstrations in Minsk in March 2006 failed to produce meaningful change in that country.

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