Youth Activist Pavel Baranouski Fined for Posting Stickers

24.08.2007. Tags: political persecution, detentions.

Pershamaiski district administrative commission of Minsk has fined the youth activist Pavel Baranouski 186 000 rubles for posting stickers. This was qualified as violation of paragraph 46 of the Rules of Well-keeping and maintenance of the city of Minsk. In the commission’s ruling it was stated that ‘Baranouski does not deny the fact of violation. He has explained that he had posted stickers because he wanted Belarus to be a part of Europe.’ Bear in mind that on 24 KGB workers detained Pavel Baranouski and Aliaksei Shydlouski for posting oppositional stickers in the center of Minsk. The detainees had to spend a night in the detention center in Akrestsin Street. On 8 August the court sentenced Baranouski was sentenced to 3 days of jail under article 17.1 of the Administrative Code (petty hooliganism, a standard accusation for political activists). The court found him guilty of ‘dirty swearing in presence of the police’.

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