‘Fails to mend ways’. Preventive supervision imposed on Belarus activist again
Maskouski district court in Minsk took a decision to impose six-month preventive supervision on youth activist Pavel Vinahradau. According to the judge, Vinahradau ‘failed to mend his ways’.
Pavel Vinahradau faces criminal responsibility in case he violates the supervision regime at least three times. The activist has to stay indoors from 7 pm to 7 am; he is banned to leave Belarus.
Opening three administrative cases over participation in protest actions gave the grounds for the current supervision. At the same time, the court’s decision is contrary to Belarusian law.
“The preventive supervision against Pavel has been set for the term exceeding the time limit when he stops being regarded as a convict, which is also a violation,” lawyer Pavel Sapelka told HRC Viasna.
“I believed that such a flagrant breach of legislation is impossible even in Belarus taking into account that our authorities have announced liberalization and now they are getting ready for pre-election campaigning,” Vinahradau told Belsat TV.
In May 2011, Pavel Vinahradau was sentenced to four years of imprisonment for participating in the post-election protests in Minsk on December 19, 2010. He was pardoned by Alyaksandr Lukashenka on September 14, 2011 although Vinahradau had never filed a petition to the president. The authorities imposed a preventive supervision over the activist for 3.5 years. The period was then extended for six months more, as he had been held liable repeatedly according to art. 23.34 of the Code of Administrative Violations. The supervision was lifted in November 2015.
The youth activist also became famous for holding creative and funny protest actions. The authorities continued to persecute him: Vinahradau was repeatedly detained. For example, in the course of 2014, he spent altogether sixty days in prison.
