Opposition party leaders sentenced to prison

November 3, BPN. Minsk’s Pieršamajski District Court has sentenced United Civic Party (UCP) Chair Mikałaj Kazloŭ to two and a half years in prison, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

Former Deputy Chair Antanina Kavalova was given a one-year sentence and UCP Minsk chapter head Aksana Alaksiejeva, 18 months in prison.

The court found them guilty of participating in protests.

Police arrested the UCP leaders on July 27. Siarhiej Pasko, head of the Investigative Committee in Minsk, claimed that Kazłoŭ “controlled a radical crowd, gave orders to protesters, and urged them to block the traffic” allegedly following orders from so-called “supervisors.”

In March 2022, authorities released Kazłoŭ after he had served a three-month jail sentence for refusing to pledge not to disclose the details of his questioning as a witness in a criminal case against former presidential candidate Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.