Case against jailed Belarusian activist's supporter delayed
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 October 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Case against jailed Belarusian activist's supporter delayed, 17 October 2011, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4eaaa80c1c.html [accessed 19 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 17, 2011
Raman Kislyak
BERASTSE, Belarus – A judge in western Belarus has sent a criminal case against a local human rights defender back to police for additional investigation, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.
The activist, Raman Kislyak, was arrested on October 16 during a one-man march in support of Ales Byalyatski, the chairman of the Vyasna (Spring) human rights center, who was arrested in August and charged with tax evasion in a case that drew widespread international condemnation.
Kislyak marched down Berastse's Cosmonauts Boulevard with a megaphone informing passersby about Byalyatski's arrest and condemning the charges against him as politically motivated. Police arrested him around 6 p.m. and kept him in custody overnight.
Kislyak left the courtroom in the city of Berastse a free man following the judge's decision on October 17.
Kislyak told RFE/RL the investigators and prosecution were not able to demonstrate clearly which article of the law on public gatherings he had violated.
In addition, Kislyak said, there was a discrepancy in the indictment, which claimed variously that he had staged a picket and held an illegal march.
Kislyak was informed by the court he would be summoned again once the additional investigation was completed.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
