Statement on Aleh Surhan's sentence

Committee for Defence of the Repressed “Salidarnasc” is very concerned by the sentence to Aleh Surhan. On the 19th of February Aleh Surhan was sentenced by Vitebsk Kastrychnicki district court to 6 months of arrest and 2,5 millions Belarusian rubbles of compensation under the article 364 of Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (violence or the threat of using the violence against militiaman or his relatives). Aleh Surhan was detained while he was hanging white-red-white flag. When he was being driven to militia department he was beaten by militiamen. In militia department he wrote a complaint to the prosecutor’s office and right after this militiaman Siarhei Dudkevich said that he was attacked by Surhan. Criminal case was brought against Surhan. The only witnesses at trial were militiamen. Dudkevich said during the trial that Surhan had bitten his finger when he was not letting Surhan “to hit his head against militia car”. This case is similar to political prisoner Siarhei Parsukevich’s one. Such practice – when militiamen in order to avoid liability accuse victims – is becoming regular. And militiamen are always the only witnesses in such cases. Taking into account the circumstances of the case Committee for Defence of the Repressed “Salidarnasc” considers the sentence to be politically motivated.