Activist of JEANS for Freedom movement and European Belarus. One of the defendants in the Case of 14.

Chronicle of repression

Thousands of people, including civil society activists and businessmen, took to the streets in Minsk on 10 January 2008 to participate in a demonstration against the introduction of a presidential decree concerning restrictive tax and employment regulations for small businesses. The demonstration was organized by entrepreneurs who had applied to the authorities for permission to hold the demonstration. They did not receive a reply to their request and decided to go ahead with the protest. Fourteen individuals were subsequently convicted for “organization and active participation in group actions, seriously violating public order,” among them Ales Czarnuszou who was detained during the demonstration. He was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest.

After he was released, on 22 April 2008 he was charged under the art. 342, part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (organization and active participation in group actions, seriously violating public order). He was sentenced to 2 years of freedom restriction. In 2009 his sentence was changed to forced labour.

On 15 January 2010 Ales was amnestied and the case was closed.