Viasna demands to stop illegal administrative arrests of civil activists

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” condemns the illegal administrative prosecution and arrests of a number of youth activists, including Mikhail Muski, Zmitser Kremianetski, Raman Vasilyeu, Mikalai Dzemidzenka and Pavel Vinahradau, as well as human rights defender Aleh Vouchak.

We have to state that the Belarusian authorities have repeatedly used the disgraceful tactics of prosecuting civil activists under administrative procedures.

We believe that the systemic sentencing of civil activists on falsified charges of disorderly conduct is a criminal form of arbitrary detention. We regret to state that, alongside security forces, the illegal harassment has been contributed to by the country’s judiciary, as courts keep pronouncing verdicts based on false evidence.

In particular, this spring alone, Mikhail Muski, Zmitser Kremianetski and Mikalai Dzemidzenka have been sentenced to 37 days of administrative arrest each, while Pavel Vinahradau and Aleh Vouchak have been twice convicted on charges falsified by the police.

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” demands to:

-          immediately put an end to the practice of administrative prosecution and illegal sentencing of civil activists on falsified charges;

-          prosecute all those involved in the cases of illegal sentencing;

-          compensate for the damage to health and moral sufferings of all the illegally convicted persons.

Minsk, 25 May 2012