US embassy slams sentence for Symbal.by store owner

May 11, BPN. By sentencing Symbal.by owner Pavieł Biełavus, the Łukašenka regime is essentially criminalizing the Belarusian language, culture and history, the US embassy in Minsk has said.

“Long live Belarusian language, culture and history. Long live Belarus!” the embassy tweeted in Belarusian.

Today, the Minsk City Court sentenced the founder and owner of the online store selling Belarusian-themed goods to 13 years in prison. Judge Žanna Brysina also fined him 18,500 rubels (some $7,300).

Opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja commented by saying that “this is a sentence to all Belarusians who dream of… a country where they know their history, honor their traditions, have national dignity and speak their mother tongue.” The Łukašenka regime regards all of this as “extremism,” she said.

People who issued the ruling would gladly accept Belarus’ incorporation into Russia, she added.