Vitsebsk: Siarhei Kavalenka serves arrest with breaks
Siarhei Kavalenka. Photo by Siarhei Serabro.
On 1 April the criminal-executive
commission sentenced the Vitsebsk activist of the Conservative-Christian Party Belarusian
Popular Front Siarhei Kavalenka to 15 days of arrest for an alleged
violation of the regime of personal restraint, to three years of which he had
been sentenced to putting a white-red-white flag atop the main New Year tree of
Vitsebsk on 7 January 2010.
Mr. Kavalenka was detained immediately after the first
arrest term (25 March – 1 April) and put back in jail. He maintained a
hunger-strike of protest during both arrest terms. As a result, he got to the
cardiological department of the city hospital during the second arrest term.
After receiving medical treatment he went home, while the procuracy was
considering his complaints against unlawful arrests.
On 22 April Mr. Kavalenka was informed that the procuracy hadn't find any
violations in the police actions and was taken back to jail, to be released
from it on 28 April because of a sudden decrease of the blood pressure. On 6 May
he was taken to jail once more, to serve the remaining 6 days of arrest.
Most probably, the authorities isolate the activist on Victory Day, 9 May, on
purpose: Siarhei Kavalenka is famous for actions with national white-red-white
flag.
