Magazine Editor Released Early

18.10.2007. Tags: national minorities, mass media, arrest.
Source: Charter`97.

On October 17^th Ihar Bantsar, editor of “Magazyn Polski na uchodzstwie” magazine, was released early from Hrodna remand jail. He had been sentenced to 10 days of arrest for “foul language” and his term of arrest expired Saturday, October 20^th.

“But he was released from the prison early, the United Civil Party Hrodna organization еўдв ucpb.org. – The Union of Poles began to gather people for a rally near the jail. They invited people to come to the detention center at 5 p.m. of October 17^th and demand release of the political prisoner. On the day the action was scheduled for, Ihar Bantsar was released at 0.30 p.m.

Yury Istomin was released in the evening the day before. He was arrested two times for the last two weeks – for 5 and 7 days. As other oppositionists, he was accused of rude language (Article №17.1 of the Administrative Code – “disorderly conduct”). He was seating in the cell with Zmiter Slutski, the UCP Hrodna city organization head and Viktar Sazonau, the Belarusian Socio-Democratic Party area organization head, both sentenced to 5 days of arrest.

In protest against the unlawful actions of the authorities they refused to take food. The last two days Yury Istomin was with Ihar Bantsar and the Belarusian Popular Front Party (BPF) member Mikola Lemianouski (5 days of arrest). Ihar Bantsar went on hunger-strike, too.