“Young Front” Members Get Punished for Fly Sheets against Third Referendum

13.11.2003.

On 12 November policemen of Minsk Leninski Borough Board of Internal Affairs detained four members of “Young Front” who distributed fly-sheets that agitated to participate in the youth action “NO- to the third referendum!” that would take place on 24 November.

Interests of the detained were represented at the trial by the lawyers of Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich. The administrative cases were considered by Judges Alena Tserashkova and Aliaksandr Shylko.

Artur Finkevich, being an organizer of the action “NO- to the third referendum!”, was found guilty of violation of the 2nd part of Article #167.1 of the Code of Administrative Violations (CAV) as, according to the Law of the Republic of Belarus “About mass actions of the Republic of Belarus” the organizer has no right to inform the public about the place and date of the action before he or she receives the official permission for it. As a result, he was sentenced to 15 days of jail.

Edvard Zeliankow, Alena Skarabunova and the citizen of Brest Volha Verabyova were found guilty upon the 1st part of Article #167.1 of CAV, violation of the order of mass actions and fined 20 minimal wages each.