Maskousky District Court punished the social activist Pavel Siarhei for participating in a peaceful protest against the introduction of student fees for exam and test retakes, held in Minsk on December 2.
The trial of the man began yesterday, but the judge adjourned the case until December 23. Tatsyana Matyl found Pavel guilty of violating Part 1 of Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code (participation in an unauthorized mass event) and appointed a fine of 25 basic units. The young man promised to appeal the decision at a higher court.
Paval Siarhei is not the only one persecuted for the students’ rally. According to the Vyasna human rights defenders, protocols for administrative violations were also filed against Yauhen Amelkau and Hleb Vaikul, who was summoned to the commission of the dean’s office the next day.
On December 2, near the Independence Square in Minsk, a student march “Love and Justice” was organized by the movement “Students against.” By staging this rally, they wanted to force the leadership of the university to “abolish paid retakes and detentions,” “stop the pressure on students”, “dissolve the Assembly of the Belarusian State University and the create a new body of student government.”
