Minsk: Member of opposition Coordination Council sentenced to 5-year restriction of liberty
On August 9, Savetski district court of Minsk passed a verdict in the case of Vital Kryuko, a member of the opposition Coordination Council, human rights centre Viasna reports.
Vital Kryuko was arrested on 30 June 2021; before that, he had been in custody from 29 August to 12 November, 2020. During the 2020 election campaign, he collected signatures in support of former banker Viktar Babaryka; after the arrest of Babaryka, he organised trips of representatives of the joint election headquarters (Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maryia Kalesnikava, Veranika Tsapkala) to various Belarusian cities and towns.
Judge Syarhei Shatsila found the man guilty of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code (‘tax evasion’) and sentenced punished Vital to five years of restriction of liberty without being sent to an open correctional facility. The defendant will also have to pay a fine of 58,000 Belarusian rubles (appr. 20,000 euro).
Vital Kryuko is also a member of the opposition Coordination Council which was set up by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her associates as part of taking urgent measures to restore law and order in Belarus as well as to ensure the transfer of power in the country. Belarus’ Prosecutor General opened a criminal case over establishing the Council, naming it a ‘threat to national security’.
