83-year old activist will be put on trial for humanitarian aid

A Scidziel activist Veranika Sebascjanovich faces a fine of up to Br 4.5 million.

The head of the Home Army Union in Belarus Veranika Sebascjanovich will go on trial on 10 June for allegedly smuggling humanitarian aid for the members of the organization, reports the newspaper Głos znad Niemna of the Union of Poles not recognized by the Belarusian authorities.

Charges against the 83-year old Sebasc’janovich came to court from the Hrodna customs office. The case relates to over 70 boxes of humanitarian aid for the Home Army veterans in Belarus from the Polish Odra-Nieman association, which were confiscated on 2 April.

According to customs officers, “an unidentified person from Poland purchased and distributed among other persons in Poland foodstuff and souvenirs of the total cost of about a thousand euros for being shipped to Belarus in minor parties. Later these goods were found in the house of Veranika Sebasc’janovich is Skidziel, who was supposed to coordinate the contraband, by which committing an administrative violation, since the goods did not go through customs clearance”.

For that the Skidziel activist faces a fine of 5 to 30 baseline rates.

We would remind that since 2005 there have been two unions of Poles: the official one that supports the policies of the Belarusian government, and the unofficial, which the Belarusian authorities won’t register, but which is supported by Warsaw. Its members undergo repressions on the part of official authorities.