Svetlahorsk: Kiryl Ksiandzou Fined for Handing out Newspapers

On 27 April Svetlahorsk district court fined 22-year-old activist Kiryl Ksiandzou 930 thousand rubles (about 460 US dollars) for ‘abuse of freedom of information’. The former student of the journalistic faculty of the Belarusian State University was charged with distribution of Rehiyanalnyia Naviny newspaper, which contained the article They Know Their Roles by Ksiandzou, about the deputies of local soviets. Svetlahorsk prosecutor’s office considers that this publication and Presidency as Heritage insults Aliaksandr Lukashenka and other duty officials.

The fined was imposed under article 22.9 of the Administrative Code, ‘Violation of the law on press and other mass media’. Mr. Ksiandzou disagrees with the verdict. According to him, he handed out the newspapers in January, and according to the law a penalty can be imposed within 2-month term after the administrative violation.