Head of OSCE Office in Minsk says sentences for opposition figures unjustified

MINSK, 1 June 2005 - The Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk, Ambassador Eberhard Heyken, expressed his concern over the criminal sentences handed down yesterday by the Minsk District Court on two prominent Belarusian opposition figures.

The Minsk Central district court sentenced Nikolai Statkevich, a leader of the Social-Democratic Party (Narodnaya Gromada) and Pavel Severinets, leader of the non-registered youth organization "Young Front", to three years of restricted freedom. However, due to the Amnesty Law on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Victory in World War Two, the sentence has been reduced to two years.

Mr Statkevich and Mr Severinets were charged under Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus with "organization of group activities which violate public order or active participation therein."

"The court chose to prosecute the defendants under the criminal code, whereas the charge may be considered as an administrative offence," Ambassador Heyken said.

"I had monitored the demonstration myself on 18 October and can confirm that the demonstration was neither violent nor threatening. A three-year sentence handed down in an OSCE participating state for the expression of personal political opinions is disproportionate and cannot be justified."

The trial, which was observed by the OSCE Office in Minsk, started on 23 May 2005. The prosecutor stated that the defendants "on 18 -19 October 2004, by prior agreement, organized and took part in group activities which violated public order." The prosecutor also stated that the demonstrators had not obeyed police orders to disperse and that the march had prevented the normal functioning of public transport.

The verdict can be appealed to a higher court within 10 days. The OSCE Office in Minsk will continue to monitor the proceedings.