Restrictions expire for 5 convicts in 2010 “rioting” case

According to human rights defender Tatsiana Reviaka, five men convicted over the December 2010 post-election protest, are now free of any restrictions as their sentences expired on July 20-22. They are Siarhei Vazniak, Aliaksandr Fiaduta, Andrei Dzmitryeu, Vital Rymasheski and Siarhei Martseleu. “Certain freedom is returning to these people,” says Mrs. Reviaka, as quoted by the Nasha Niva newspaper.

However, a criminal record will remain for two more years.

The verdicts levied certain limitations on them, as they had to check in at the police, it was impossible to move without a permit, they were banned from traveling abroad.

At the same time, the human rights defender stresses that there still remain two political convicts, who are almost forgotten, Dzmitry Miadzvedz and Sviataslau Baranovitch. They were sentenced to three years of conditional imprisonment each and are under much tighter restrictions.