Belarusian Judge Rules Activist's Trial May Proceed Despite Health Concerns
VITSEBSK, Belarus -- A judge in the
eastern Belarusian city of Vitsebsk has ruled that Syarhey Kavalenka's
health is "satisfactory" and that the trial of the opposition activist
can proceed.
As the trial got under way on February 21, relatives said they were
shocked over Kavalenka's frail appearance due to a hunger strike.
Kavalenka, who was arrested in December on charges of violating his
parole conditions, was forcibly fed by prison guards in January but says
he resumed his hunger strike 15 days ago.
Kavalenka, a member of the Belarusian Conservative Christian
Party-Belarusian Popular Front, was originally sentenced in January 2010
to three years of "limited freedom" for "illegally displaying the
banned Belarusian national flag" in a public place.
He could be sentenced to three years in jail if found guilty of violating his parole.
In a related development, four activists of the opposition Youth Front
movement who traveled to Vitsebsk to support Kavalenka were arrested on
February 21 and charged with "using vulgar words in public."
