Campaign of Solidarity with Artur Finkevich

If it wasn’t for the second criminal case, Artur Finkevich would return from the corrective labour facility on December 9. but more than a month ago a new criminal action was brought up against the activist for violation of the regime of serving the punishment.
Yesterday a public committee of solidarity with the political prisoner gathered in the Belarusian Popular Front head office. The main issue on the agenda is an action of solidarity with Artur Finkevich. A trial over Artur Finkevich could take place in the near future, Radio Svaboda informs.
A former political prisoner Paval Sevyarynets told to the members of the committee latest news about Finkevich. As said by him, “Artur is waiting for the date of the court in Mahilyou now. We are doing everything possible for him through international channels. At the meetings with European Ambassadors and during the recent trip to the US we were reminding about him all the time. Many things are done for solidarity with Finkevich by “For Freedom” movement. A special statement has been adopted, letters are written, not only to Artur, but to judge Kashkina, who is to try the case. A newspaper has been published, and it has been distributed with a good circulation,” P. Sevyarynets said.
Participants of the meeting have discussed a number of organizational aspects. For instance, how mass actions of solidarity should be staged during the trial. It has been decided to call upon people to arrive to Mahilyou, to mobilize local activists of the democratic movement. Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the leader of the “For Freedom!” movement has promised to provide transportation. Communities abroad, in Warsaw, Kyiv, Vilnia, Brussels and other countries are decided to be invited to take part in the rallies of solidarity.
One shouldn’t forget about efforts which would increase awareness of the public about Finkevich’s case before the trial, an activist Ela Haretskaya said. “We have collected signatures under the address in defense of Artur Finkevich. Prominent public and culture personalities, people’s poets, a priest of the Belarusian autocephalous church have signed the address. 92 signatures have been collected altogether. The address has been published in the newspaper “Narodnaya Volya”,” E. Haretskaya informed.
An analogous work was carried out by the members of the committee of solidarity with political prisoners about a month ago, in the run-up to the trial over “young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich. Nobody could say exactly, how it has influenced the result of the trial, but finally the verdict to the activist was not connected with a new term of imprisonment, Paval Sevyarynets noted. “The campaign of solidarity with Artur Finkevich will be powerful, which is always fruitful,” Paval Sevyarynets said.