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Opposition activist Leanid Kulakow gets 10-day jail term

A district judge in Minsk on Thursday imposed a 10-day jail term on Leanid Kulakow, a member of an opposition group called European Belarus.

Judge Yury Harbatowski of the Pershamayski District Court found Mr. Kulakow guilty of disorderly conduct, human rights defender Yuliya Stsyapanava told BelaPAN.

“Kulakow was arrested by police officers in Minsk on Wednesday,” she said. “He was accused of using obscene language in a public place, behaving aggressively and ignoring those who told him to stop. But the truth is that he was arrested in his own apartment.”

Another activist of European Belarus, Syarhey Matskoyts, who was arrested at his workplace in Minsk on Thursday, is expected to stand trial later in the day.

According to human rights website www.spring96.org, civil society activists Alyaksandr Arlow and Anastasiya Kukhto have been sentenced to 17 and 20 days in jail, respectively, on charges of disorderly conduct and disobedience to police officers. Mr. Arlow and Ms. Kukhto were arrested at home in Minsk on the night between May 7 and 8.

At least 20 opposition and civil society activists have been arrested and sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 25 days in Belarus in the last two weeks. The activists are believed to have been jailed to prevent any protests during the May 9-25 World Ice Hockey Championship in Minsk.