Belarusian Activist Jailed As Hockey Tournament Continues

Police arrested Aleh Kerol as he was hanging posters in downtown Minsk expressing solidarity with the more than 20 opposition activists jailed for 10 to 25 days in the last two weeks.

An opposition activist in Belarus has been sentenced to 25 days in jail.

A court in Minsk on May 15 found Aleh Kerol guilty of resisting police and hooliganism.

Police arrested Kerol on May 13 as he was hanging posters on buildings in downtown Minsk, expressing solidarity with the more than 20 opposition activists who had been sentenced to prison terms of between 10 and 25 days in the last two weeks.

The arrests came in the run-up to the Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk.

The Belarusian opposition called for an international boycott of the tournament, which started on May 9.

The opposition activists jailed last week told RFE/RL that they believe the authorities incarcerated them to prevent protest actions during the tournament.