Political prisoner Pavel Seviarynets faces formal charges

Pavel Seviarynets, co-founder of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party who has been in detention since June 7, has been officially charged under Part 2, Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (mass riots), according to his wife Volha. The period of his pre-trial detention has been extended by two more months.

If found guilty, the opposition politician may be imprisoned for up to eight years.

Seviarynets was initially detained on June 7 to serve five consecutive terms of administrative detention. After serving 75 days, the activist, however, was not released but named a suspect in what is now known as the “rioting case”. Seviarynets was then transferred to the pre-trial prison in Minsk.

The key human rights organizations of Belarus called the arrested activist a political prisoner.

On August 29, the authorities renewed the pre-trial detention of another political prisoner, opposition leader Mikalai Statkevich, who is also facing charges as part of the “rioting case”.