Political prisoner Artsyom Dubski remains behind bars

• 20.08.2009, 11:24

The judicial board of the Mahilou region court dismissed a cassation appeal of “Young Front” activist Artsyom Dubski.

The participant of the Process of 14 appealed against the decision of the Asipovichy district court asking to change a sentence for him, Radio Svaboda reports.

Artsyom Dubski wasn’t present in the courtroom. A film crew of the Belarusian official television worked at the trial.

Lawyer Tamara Sidarenka asked to change the punishment to suspended sentence and grant amnesty to Dubski. Prosecutor Bahamolau called on the judges to uphold the verdict. The court took the side of the prosecutor.

About 30 people came to support Dubski. Among them were mother of the political prisoner Alena Dubskaya, “Young Front” leader Zmitser Dashkevich, and “Young Belarus” leader Artur Finkevich.

We remind that on July 7, the Asipovichy district court sentenced Artsyom Dubski to a year of arrest for violation of the rules of serving punishment in the Case of 14.

The youth activist had to leave for Ukraine in 2008 because militia officers had given him two far-fetched warnings for violation of the rules of serving. Dubski was detained on February 13, 2009, in Homel.

The Case of 14 is a criminal case under article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, instigated against participants of a peaceful rally of entrepreneurs held in Minsk on January 10, 2008.