Prosecutor demanded to punish human rights activist by 2 years of imprisonment
- 9.07.2009, 11:52
The judgenment in the case of Vitsebsk human rights activist Leanid Svetsik is to be delivered on July 9.
During the session of Vitsebsk regional court on July 8 Prosecutor Syarhei Selikhanau asked to sentence the human rights activist to 2 years of standard regime penal colony, and to confiscate all office equipment from Leanid Svetsik.
Activists of the Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front Yan Taupyha and Yan Dzyarzhautsau, who are offended as person affected in the case of “RNU letters”, stated during the pleadings that they do not believe Leanid Svetsik is guilty. According to them, the human rights activist who, as well as them, demanded to find those who in 2006-2007 had been sending letters with threats to them and other well-known persons of the city, are intentionally charged with stirring up ethnic discord in order to discredit the human rights movement as a whole. The both oppositionists demanded judge Halina Urbanovich to acquit Leanid Svetsik. They have brought a statement about that to the court. It sis signed by Vitsebsk public activists who believe that the criminal case had been intentionally framed up by the KGB, and the trial over Svetsik is politically motivated.
Svetsik’s lawyer, Paval Sapelka, called the case against his client “an awful provocation”. In his speech he noted violations during preliminary investigation and the trial. He also offered Judge Halina Urbanovich to acquit the human rights activist, as his guilt hadn’t been proved by the court.
As we have informed, in 2006-2007 Leanid Svetsik was rendering legal aid to Vitsebsk activists, who received letters with threats on behalf of unregistered pro-Nazi organization Russian National Unity, was helping to prepare complaints to prosecutors.
A criminal case under article 130.1 of the Criminal Code over fact of threats from RNU was instigated only by the KGB department for the Vitsebsk region on May 20, 2008. Leanid Svetsik was mentioned as a witness in the case, but later he was said he was a suspect person. The criminal case against him was suspended in September 2008. On March 31, 2009, he was charged under two articles of the Criminal Code: stirring up national or religious hatred (article 130) and libel against the president of Belarus (article 367). The human rights activist was given a written pledge not to leave town. Leanid Svetsik doesn’t admit his guilt and think the criminal case is revenge for his human rights activity.
In early April, Front Line, the international foundation for protection of human rights defenders, sent a letter to Alyaksandr Lukashenka asking to stop criminal persecution of human rights activist Leanid Svetsik.