Andrey Levanyuk listed as political prisoner. He got 30 days in jail for words ‘Deliver Us From Evil’
On Wednesday, the Belarusian human rights community recognised Brest resident Andrey Levanyuk as a political prisoner. In early April , Maskouski district court of Brest completed hearing his criminal case.
His only fault was drawing the words ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ on one of the buildings in Brest; the local police considered it to be a picket and made a protocol on him for ‘violating rules of holding mass event’ (Article 23.34 of the old version of the Code of Administrative Offences). Later, however, a criminal case was instituted over the incident instead of administrative proceedings. As a result, the defendant appeared before court under Article 341 of the Criminal Code (‘desecration of buildings and damage to property’).
‘Deliver Us From Evil’ is part of the main Christian player Our Father which is twice mentioned in the Gospel. Mr Levanyuk, who views himself as a believer, explained what had spurred him to leave the graffiti on the wall.
“They saw some cynicism in the words of the prayer. When I was making that inscription, I wanted our people to achieve reconciliation so that there would be an end to the confrontation in our society which has been going on since August. But still, I was found guilty,” Andrey Levanyuk told Belsat in the wake of the trial.
Then, taking heed of the public prosecutor’s demand, judge Vera Filonik imposed a 30-day jail term on him.
According to the prosecution, this inscription worsened the ‘aesthetic perception’ of the building, and thus Levanyuk showed his dissatisfaction with the results of the presidential election, as well as with the actions of law-enforcers to counteract the mass riots’.
In turn, the Belarusian human rights defenders state that such form of expression falls under the protection of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and has nothing to do with the charges.
“The defendant did not infringe on sacred or historical and cultural values. The inscription does not contain obscene language or hate speech on the grounds of nationality, race, religion, or social origin, and other characteristics and the damage caused was symbolic in nature and was voluntarily repaid by the defendant even before the court hearings,” the statement reads.
Seven human rights watchdogs called on the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release of Andrey Levanyuk as well as other prisoners of conscience.
As of June 25, there are 507 persons on the political prisoners’ list that is constantly being updated by human rights activists.
belsat.eu
