On April 9, Maksim Vinyarski, an activist of the European Belarus civil campaign, has been found guilty of violating Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (calls for participation in an unauthorized mass event).
Tatsyana Matyl, a judge at Maskouski district court, sentenced him to 13-day term in jail, human rights centre Viasna reports.
Last week politician Mikalai Statkevich and other activists, including Vinyarski, called upon people to come to the Holy Spirit Cathedral on the Freedom Square in Minsk on April 7 to hold a prayer service in memory of the innocent victims in Kurapaty. Statkevich organized this initiative because of what happened in Kurapaty recently, where on April 4 the authorities demolished more than 70 crosses and detained activists. Although the public prayer was held, Statkevich failed to take part in the event due to his being preventively detained on April, 5.
As reported earlier, 73-year-old activist Nina Bahinskaya spent three days in a predetention centre over her pushing back against the Belarusian authorities’ order to knock down crosses. On April 5, the police grabbed her and politician Pavel Sevyarynets as they were trying to prevent workers from digging in Kurapaty. On April 8, Bahinskaya got a fine while Sevyarynets was punished by administrative detention.
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