Belarus activist freed after clemency request
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 September 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Belarus activist freed after clemency request, 27 September 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5069a92423.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 27.09.2012 16:07
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
Syarhey Kavalenka's son pickets in Vitebsk in May 2012 for his father's freedom.
VITSEBSK, Belarus – Prominent Belarusian opposition activist Syarhey Kavalenka, whose health deteriorated after a lengthy hunger strike earlier this year, has been released from prison.
Relatives told RFE/RL that Kavalenka and his wife arrived in their native city of Vitsebsk overnight.
Kavalenka's mother says her son was freed after he had to ask for clemency.
She said Kavalenka had asked for a pardon under increasing pressure from prison authorities, who put him in solitary confinement and blackmailed him.
Kavalenka, 37, was sentenced in February to 25 months in jail for violating the terms of his parole for a conviction on charges of "illegally displaying the banned Belarusian national flag."
Kavalenka has denied committing the offense.
Officials force-fed him before, during, and after the trial because of his lengthy hunger strike.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
