October 14, Pozirk. European diplomats gathered outside the Rečyca District Court building in the Homiel region to show solidarity with Palina Šarenda-Panasiuk.
Šarenda-Panasiuk’s detention is unfair and the charges brought against her are unjust and politically motivated, the German embassy said on Facebook.
The fact that the mother of two minor children has to stand trial on the Mother’s Day, observed in the country on October 14, demonstrates the ruthlessness of the Belarusian regime toward dissidents, it said.
The German Federal Government demands freedom for all political prisoners in Belarus, it added.
Judge Stanisłaŭ Ivaniucienka opened the trial in Rečyca earlier today.
Three years ago, the activist was given two years in prison after a judge found her guilty of violence against a police officer and insulting officials. She subsequently received two additional one-year terms for allegedly disobeying the prison administration.
This spring, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women called on Belarus to urgently protect Šarenda-Panasiuk.
Šarenda-Panasiuk remains in a poor physical and mental state as she keeps facing pressure and “torture-like” detention conditions, her husband Andrej Šarenda said recently.
