Prominent opposition activist in Homyel jailed

• 9.10.2007, 18:14

Police in Homyel on October 9 jailed Uladzimir Katsora, deputy chairman of the opposition United Civic Party (UCP)’s regional branch, charging him with “petty hooliganism.”

Mr. Katsora and another local leader of the party, Andrey Tolchyn, were pulled over by traffic police at about 1 p.m. while they were driving on their Volkswagen minibus along Homyel’s Lepyashynskaha Street. The officers claimed that something wrong was with the vehicle’s plates, and that it might have been stolen.

Messrs. Katsora and Tolchyn were driven to a district police station for what was called “clarification of the circumstances.”

Mr. Tolchyn was soon allowed to go and Mr. Katsora was charged under Article 17.1 of the Administrative Offenses Code. The charge sheet said that Mr. Katsora “behaved defiantly, provoked traffic police officers, threw his driver’s certificate to the ground, and used obscene language.”

On October 5, KGB officers raided the UCP office in Homyel, seizing six computers and three copiers in the presence of Messrs. Katsora and Tolchyn. The officers explained that the search was part of an investigation in connection with the prosecution of some people charged with acting on behalf of an unregistered organization called Malady Front (Young Front).

The heads of European Union member countries’ diplomatic missions in Minsk are expected to visit the Homyel region on October 11. During the visit, they reportedly planned to meet with local opposition leaders. //BelaPAN